The Other Dursley
by GuardianDragon98
Summary: Jemma: sweet, little Jemma Dursley is Dudley's younger sister and Harry's younger cousin. Unlike her horrid older brother and equally horrid family, Jemma is the only one in the family who doesn't see Harry as a freak or a burden. This is a one-shot collection chronicling Jemma's growth as an ordinary Muggle but, at the same time, an ordinary Muggle drawn to the world of magic.
1. Chapter 1

**I know a lot of you know me for my HTTYD and ROTG fanfics but, today, I've decided to do a little experimental fanfiction writing. Aside from being a Dragons fan and a Guardians fan, I'm a bit of a Harry Potter fan myself.**

 **I don't know if it's because I'm waiting for the next batch of Race to the Edge episodes to premiere next month or because I've suddenly developed a habit of reading Harry Potter fanfiction (mostly Harry/Ginny fluff and post-Deathly Hallows ones), but I thought I might try this. Hope you all like it…**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter or anything Harry Potter-related. Other than my OC, everything else belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.**

* * *

 **The Other Dursley**

 **Summary:** Jemma: sweet, little Jemma Dursley is Dudley's younger sister and Harry's younger cousin. Unlike her horrid older brother and equally horrid family, Jemma is the only one in the family who doesn't see Harry as a freak or a burden. This is a one-shot collection chronicling Jemma's growth as an ordinary Muggle but, at the same time, an ordinary Muggle drawn to the world of magic.

* * *

 **Chapter One: Harry Meets Jemma**

Six-year-old Harry Potter often wondered when he would get to see his new cousin. Aunt Petunia had given birth to Dudley's little sister three weeks ago and he had yet to see her.

"Keep Harry away! He'll turn her into a freak like him!" Dudley had wailed so, when Jemma arrived home with Aunt Petunia from the hospital, Uncle Vernon had locked Harry in his cupboard and only allowed him to go out whenever Jemma wasn't around. Harry could hear though and, often, he listened to his aunt and uncle dote on little Jemma. Dudley, however, soon grew tired of all the attention his little sister was getting and began to bully her when his parents weren't around. It was one of those rare times Harry ever got mad at his cousin whenever he heard Dudley call Jemma " _midget_ " or " _stupid_ " followed by Jemma's unhappy cries after Dudley had either pinched her or kicked her crib.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't know about Dudley's bullying and always thought their firstborn son was an angel to his little sister. Harry was the only one who knew Jemma was being bullied. She was only a baby, for goodness's sake! To Harry, Dudley's treatment of Jemma was worse than the whole family's treatment of him.

Then, one afternoon, his cupboard was left unlocked and Harry saw his chance.

Dudley was at the park playing with his friends and Uncle Vernon was at work while Aunt Petunia had stepped out to get milk. Leaving the safety of his cupboard, Harry crept over to the living room. Little Jemma was crying in her crib, which had been put there earlier in the day, and would not cease her wailing. The floor was littered with her baby toys and some of Dudley's own playthings as Harry tiptoed to the crib to take a peek at Jemma.

She was a cute little thing. Her head covered in soft black hair and she was chubby, but not as chubby as Dudley when he was a baby. Once she saw the stranger with messy black hair and bespectacled green eyes, Jemma stopped crying.

"Hello, Jemma…" Harry said softly so as not to startle his little cousin. Jemma merely blinked her big brown eyes at Harry. Picking up a baby rattle, Harry held it up over Jemma's head and shook it. Jemma cooed and waved her little arms up at the toy, kicking her little legs in the air. "I don't know if you'll hate me when you grow up, Jemma. But, if you need someone to talk to or tattle on Dudley…I'll be here…" Harry smiled at her.

What Jemma did next surprised Harry.

When the young boy stooped down to Jemma's eye level, the youngest Dursley reached out a pudgy hand and touched the lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead. Jemma gurgled and smiled at Harry, toothless pink gums showing as she gurgled happily. Harry grinned. "Nice to meet you, Jemma. I'm Harry," he introduced himself. Jemma cooed and lightly batted Harry's face with her hand. Harry smiled and gently brushed his finger against Jemma's chubby cheeks and giggled when she eagerly grabbed onto his finger. He loved his little cousin already.

Then Aunt Petunia came back.

The bottles of milk crashed onto the floor as Petunia screamed. Jemma began to cry again, frightened by the loud noises. "What are you doing near my Jemma?! Get away from her, you freak!" Aunt Petunia shrieked at Harry. "I…I just…" Harry whispered before his Aunt grabbed him by the shirt collar and dragged him back to his cupboard.

"Please don't cry, Jemma…Please don't cry…" Harry said sadly as he listened to Jemma's wails. "Oh, my little Jem…Mummy's here. Don't worry, that little freak won't bother you again…" Petunia tried to soothe her daughter but Jemma wailed all the more, wanting her cousin Harry.

* * *

 **NOTE: I'm mostly basing this on the films. So, just so you guys know, Jemma's five years younger than Harry so when he is accepted in Hogwarts at age 11, Jemma would be five.**

 **Also, this is an experimental fanfiction for me. If you want me to continue this in the near future, let me know. See you!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	2. Chapter 2

**Considering I got three reviews for the first chapter in the first hour since I posted this, I figured I might as well do another one. This is where the actual film events start taking place mixed with some events from the books. My knowledge on the films and books is a bit rusty so, if you guys spot any inconsistencies, feel free to give me constructive criticism. Enjoy!**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter. All rights go to J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros., and all respective and rightful owners.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Jemma Witnesses Magic**

"Up! Get up!"

Ten-year-old Harry Potter woke up in his cupboard to the sound of his Aunt Petunia's knocking.

" _Now!_ "

Putting on his glasses, which were held together by Scotch tape thanks to Dudley always punching him in the nose, Harry sat up in his bed only to see dust fall from the ceiling as Dudley, his overweight pig of a cousin, jumped up and down on the stairs while shouting, "Wake up, cousin! We're going to the zoo!"

Harry rolled his eyes before hearing another knock on his door.

"Good morning, Harry," Jemma's sweet, little voice brought a smile to Harry's face as he opened his cupboard door, only for Dudley to push him back in!

"Hey! That wasn't nice, you Dud!" Jemma's tiny voice rose in anger. Dudley merely snickered meanly, ignoring his sister as usual. Harry sighed and opened his cupboard's door again to be greeted by his younger cousin.

Five-year-old Jemma Dursley smiled as she gave her cousin a hug. "Morning to you, too, Jem," Harry grinned before he felt something being slipped into his hand. It was a little packet of jam tarts. "I bought them in the bakery yesterday. Better eat it before Mummy and Daddy see," Jemma said in a hushed voice. Harry smiled and eagerly opened the packet, making sure to save Jemma one, and ate the jam tarts before going to the kitchen to start making breakfast for the family.

* * *

Try as they might, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon couldn't keep Harry away from Jemma. Already having been acquainted with her cousin since babyhood, Jemma had taken to heading to the cupboard under the stairs where her cousin Harry slept. In fact, her first steps as a baby led her to that very same cupboard and she kept going there no matter how many times her parents and Dudley tried to steer her away.

Harry soon found himself being visited by Jemma loads of times as they grew up. She was the only one who truly loved Harry as family and always tried her best to make him smile whenever he felt down. She would stand or sit in front of the cupboard whenever the rest of the family wasn't around and whisper to Harry about school, life outside, and whatever else she could think of. And Harry loved Jemma right back, often indulging her in listening to her talk about anything under the sun and telling her little jokes to make her laugh. And they looked out for each other when it came to Dudley. If Dudley picked on Harry, Jemma would pull a naughty prank on him so she would be the one being chased around the house only to be safely hidden away by her cousin in his cupboard. They'd stay there together, playing with chess pieces Harry had been allowed to keep, until the coast was clear. Jemma would also sneak Harry food from the pantry or after the family had had their meals when no one was looking. She asked questions, too, about why Harry couldn't join them for meals, why he had to stay under the stairs, and why he was the only one doing the household chores. Her parents only gave her one-liner answers that didn't satisfy her and her brother, Dudley, kept telling her to stay away from Harry and was often pushed or pinched by him whenever she asked.

Jemma didn't like how her family was treating Harry and often apologized to him at night, telling him that she was sorry she couldn't do much to make them change.

"It's all right, Jemma. You don't have to worry about me," Harry would always say to her.

But Jemma _did_ worry. She worried about Harry a lot.

* * *

Anyway, that morning, it was Dudley's birthday and the whole Dursley family was planning on going to the zoo. "Oh, here he comes, the birthday boy!" Petunia Dursley gushed as Dudley came into the kitchen. Vernon Dursley beamed at his son. "Happy Birthday, son!" he greeted Dudley, who giggled along with his mother, as Harry and Jemma entered the kitchen. "Jemma, dear, come along and sit," Petunia herded her daughter to her seat. Jemma took one look at her big brother and mumbled a, "Happy Birthday, Dud." Before sticking her tongue out at him. "Shut up, midget," Dudley muttered and discretely pinched Jemma's arm. Jemma retaliated by kicking Dudley's leg under the table.

"Daddy! Jemma kicked me!" Dudley pretended to cry. " _You_ pinched me!" Jemma pouted, folding her arms across her chest. Vernon placated his two children while Petunia bossed Harry around. "Why don't you just cook the breakfast, and try not to burn anything," she ordered Harry. "Yes, Aunt Petunia," the 11-year-old nodded and got to work, frying up some bacon.

Jemma kept her eye on Harry as she poured herself a glass of orange juice while her Mummy carried on with spoiling her big brother.

"I want everything to be perfect for my Dudley's special day!"

' _He'll find a way to mess it up. He always does. And he always blames me or Harry…_ ' Jemma thought, rolling her brown eyes, as she buttered her toast. "Hurry up! Bring my coffee, boy!" Her Daddy snapped as Harry took a while in cooking. "Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry placed a mug of coffee on the table for his uncle and, with a small smile, slipped into Jemma's hand the jam tart he had saved for her. Jemma quickly ate her tart before her father noticed and smiled at Harry sweetly.

When breakfast was over, Dudley was led into the living room where a huge pile of presents greeted him. Harry and Jemma looked at each other in amazement at the sheer number of presents Dudley got. "Even _I_ never got that many presents when it was _my_ birthday…" Jemma whispered to Harry, feeling just a little bit jealous. "Aren't they wonderful, darling?" Petunia asked her sweet boy. "Apart from the ones from you, I never get any," Harry whispered to Jemma, who gave him a sympathetic look. "I wish I could get you a birthday present soon. You're turning 11 so I gotta get you 11 presents," Jemma said softly with a smile. "You don't have to do that, Jem," Harry smiled, playfully ruffling Jemma's shoulder-length black hair. "I'm still going to try. Maybe I have enough in my piggy bank," Jemma giggled.

Dudley looked at the presents piled in the living room and looked at his father with a frown. "How many are there?" he asked. "Thirty-six. Counted 'em myself," Vernon Dursley grinned. Harry quickly covered Jemma's ears as Dudley threw another tantrum. "Thirty-six?! But last year and last year I got thirty-seven!" Dudley shouted. "Yes, well, some of them are quite bigger than last year's," Vernon tried to placate his son but Dudley merely shouted, "I don't care how big they are!" his face all red.

"Baby…" Jemma mumbled under her breath before Harry gently shushed her so she wouldn't get into trouble. "Oh, now, now, now. This is what we're going to do, is that when we go out we're going to buy you two new presents! How's that, Pumpkin?" Petunia told her birthday boy sweetly. "That makes it…" Dudley counted the numbers on his fingers before Jemma said, "Thirty-eight." In a bored tone. Compared to her idiot brother, Jemma was exceptionally bright for her age.

"Right you are, sweetheart," Vernon grinned before frowning and pulled Jemma away from Harry, his frown deepening when Jemma merely went over to Harry's side again.

* * *

"This will be a lovely day at the zoo. I'm really looking forward to it," Petunia smiled as she led Dudley and Jemma into the car. "I want to go see the birds, Mummy. Can we go to the aviary, please?" Jemma asked politely. "No, I wanna go to the reptile house!" Dudley protested. "Go if you want. I'm not going in there. I hate snakes," Jemma said, shuddering. "Now, now, Jem dear, it's your big brother's special day and we do what he wants," Petunia chided her daughter. Jemma just nodded and waited for Harry to get in the car. When she saw her Daddy pull Harry aside before he got in, Jemma felt her stomach twist into knots. Was Harry being punished again? She certainly hoped not.

When Harry got in the car, Jemma looked at him worriedly. "I'm fine, Jem. Don't worry," Harry smiled faintly at her. Taking her cousin's word for it, Jemma managed a smile.

* * *

The day was rather pleasant for both Harry and Jemma. Harry because, for once, he felt like his aunt and uncle were doing their best to tolerate him; Jemma because Harry was able to have fun with the family, even if her Mummy, Daddy, and big brother didn't really care for him much. When the family bought ice cream, Vernon let Harry have a cheap lemon ice pop when the lady selling ice cream asked him if he wanted something. And when Dudley threw a tantrum when his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, he was allowed to finish it while Dudley got another one. Jemma smiled and stayed by Harry's side the whole time, and she witnessed some very unusual things.

For starters, a bunch of people sometimes stared at Harry as they walked about. The way they were looking at her cousin made Jemma think if Harry was a famous celebrity somewhere. Her family didn't look so pleased whenever this happened and got increasingly nervous when someone tipped his cap to Harry. "Do you know them, Harry? Are they friends of your parents?" Jemma tugged on Harry's sleeve and gestured to the man who had tipped his hat to her cousin. "I don't know," Harry shrugged. Jemma thoughtfully tapped her temple, deep in thought. She knew about her cousin Harry's parents. Her Mummy's sister was Harry's mother and Harry told her that they'd died in a car crash, which resulted in his scar. She wished she'd gotten to know them. Jemma bet that, if they were alive, Harry would be much happier.

"Jemma, look! The aviary," Harry's voice brought Jemma out of her musings. Jemma looked up to see the entrance to the aviary and smiled. But, before she and Harry could run towards the aviary's entrance, Dudley grabbed them and pulled them to the reptile house.

* * *

' _I hate snakes, I hate snakes, I ABSOLUTELY hate snakes!_ ' Jemma thought, keeping her eyes shut as she held onto Harry's hand. "There's nothing to be scared of, Jem. The snakes are behind glass so they can't hurt you," Harry told her softly. Daring herself to be brave, Jemma opened her eyes to look at the various snakes hissing and slithering about behind the glass of their terrariums or habitats. The glass protecting her from the snakes did little to calm Jemma and she mostly looked down at the floor. But, after a while, she relaxed enough to watch a huge yellow-and-white boa constrictor sleep with Harry, her Daddy, and Dudley.

"Make it move," Dudley said. "I don't think it'll like that very much," Jemma said quietly as her father rapped on the glass. "Move," Vernon said crossly. Dudley, then, rapped on the glass harder and said more forcefully, "Move!" making both Vernon and Jemma wince.

"He's asleep!" Harry snapped. "He's boring," Dudley pouted as he and his father went to check out some of the other reptiles. "Dudley's a dud," Jemma said blandly, making Harry chuckle. The snake woke up from its nap and trained its beady black eyes on Harry and Jemma. Gulping, Jemma averted her eyes. "Sorry about him. He doesn't understand what it's like, lying there day after day, having people press their ugly faces in on you." Harry apologized to the snake.

Jemma thought it was kind of funny that her cousin was talking to a snake and looked up. To her and Harry's amazement, the snake lifted its head up and looked directly at them. "Whoa…" Jemma breathed out and looked at Harry, who looked just as amazed as she was. "Can you…hear me?" Harry asked the snake, who nodded.

"That's incredible…" Jemma whispered as Harry had a conversation with the snake. "It's just…I've never talked to a snake before. Do you…I mean…do you talk to people often?" Harry asked the snake haltingly, receiving a shake of the head from the snake. "Harry, how are you doing that?" Jemma asked, brown eyes wide in awe. Harry, once again, shrugged. "Keep talking to it. I want to see if I can understand the snake, too," Jemma said eagerly. And Harry continued talking to the snake. "You're from Burma, aren't you? Was it nice there? Do you miss your family?" Harry asked the snake. To answer Harry's last question, the snake motioned with its head to a sign nearby that said ' _Bred in captivity_ '. "Oh…" Jemma said and looked at the snake sadly. "I see. That's me as well. I never knew my parents, either," Harry said to the snake.

Then Dudley noticed the boa constrictor his cousin and baby sister were talking to and excitedly raced over to it, knocking Harry and Jemma to the floor!

"Mummy, Dad, come here! You won't believe what this snake is doing!" he exclaimed excitedly. Jemma was about to tell Dudley off when Harry placed a gentle but firm hand on her arm and shook his head.

What happened next was something five-year-old Jemma Dursley would never forget.

One minute the glass keeping Dudley out of the snake's territory was there and, the next, it disappeared!

"Whoa! Ahh! Ahh!" Dudley screamed, falling into the pool of water in the snake's enclosure! Jemma covered her mouth to block out a laugh before paling and scrambling to Harry's side as the snake got out. It slithered across the floor before stopping in front of the two children.

Jemma heard the snake hiss and Harry replied, "Anytime." Making her wonder if Harry had some sort of magic that could make him talk to snakes before Harry pulled her close to him as the snake slithered away.

"SNAKE!"

Jemma ignored the screams as people hastened to get away from the escaped reptile and looked at Harry. "What just happened?" she asked. Harry wasn't really sure and shrugged once more.

Then they saw Dudley get up and try to get out only to see that the glass was back, trapping Dudley inside the snake's former enclosure!

Now _that_ got Jemma giggling along with Harry as they watched Dudley pound on the glass with his fist and scream, "Mum, Mummy!"

Aunt Petunia saw him and screamed herself before rushing to the enclosure. While those two were panicking, Vernon took notice of Harry and Jemma who were still grinning in amusement.

One glare, however, wiped the grins from their faces.

Jemma could already tell that Harry was going to be blamed for this and tried to say something but her Daddy merely hauled her to her feet and pulled her away from Harry.

* * *

When they arrived home, Petunia quickly brought a bundled up Dudley inside to get him some dry clothes. Jemma entered the house next, followed by Harry and her Daddy. "Upstairs, now!" Vernon shouted at his daughter. Jemma was ready to refuse but a pleading look from Harry made her go upstairs. But, once she was out of her father's sight, Jemma stopped and watched as her Daddy painfully grabbed Harry by the hair.

"Ow!"

Jemma grabbed her own head as if _she_ had been the one grabbed by the hair. "What happened?!" Her Daddy demanded. "I swear I don't know!" Harry yelped when his uncle tightened his grip on his hair. "One minute the glass was there and then it was gone! It was like magic!" he said helplessly.

With a scoff, Vernon shoved Harry into his cupboard and locked it. " _There's no such thing as magic!_ " he snapped, closing the little air slit, and marching off into the kitchen for a drink.

* * *

Once her father was gone, Jemma hurried down the stairs and cleverly undid the lock on the air slits. She couldn't unlock the door, though, as she still had to learn the basics of lock picking. Harry's bright green eyes locked on her brown ones as they stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

Finally, Jemma asked the question they'd both been asking themselves.

"It _was_ magic, wasn't it?"

Harry didn't say anything but he nodded once.

Jemma nodded as well before asking worriedly, "Are you okay, Harry?" to which Harry replied, "I'm fine, Jem. I'm fine." Hoping to hide the fact from his younger cousin that, honestly, he was far from fine.

* * *

 **Things are about to get more magical for Jemma in the next chapter! How will she take the news when Harry finds out that he's a wizard? Leave me your guesses! Until the next update!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another update! Enjoy!**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Cousin Harry's A Wizard!**

Jemma pleaded, desperately, for a week but her parents would hear none of it. The only thing she could do was stop by Harry's cupboard as often as she could, slip whatever thin biscuit she could fit into the air slits, and talk to Harry. She would tell her that she would try her best to find the keys her Daddy used to lock her cousin in and that she would not stop until she made them change their ways. Harry, although Jemma couldn't see him clearly, would always smile whenever he heard her voice or saw her eyes peeping through the air slits of his cupboard. Life at the Dursleys may be rotten but, at least, Jemma was there to make it bearable.

There were times when Jemma would come to his cupboard crying and Harry knew that Dudley and his friends had been picking on her. As much as he wanted to get out of his cupboard and give Dudley what for, even if he knew he wouldn't be able to do much harm to his whale of an older cousin, Harry knew that it was impossible to leave his cupboard so he had to settle for comforting Jemma with his words.

After a week, Harry was finally let out. Jemma was the first to greet him with a big hug and biscuits and juice. And, for a while, the two cousins were back to their normal routine of whispered conversations and hiding from Dudley.

Then the owl came.

* * *

Jemma had been outside the house on the front porch, watching the street for the ice cream man, when she saw an owl fly by the house. A letter was then promptly dropped into the letterbox along with the rest of the mail. ' _It must be a mail owl…_ ' Jemma thought as she saw the owl land a few feet away from the house. The owl hooted and Jemma giggled as it flew away.

"Harry, an owl delivered a letter to us!" Jemma said excitedly, entering the house, as Harry collected the mail. When his eyes caught sight of an envelope with his name on it, Harry blinked in confusion.

Who could have written to him?

Jemma saw the envelope as well and her brown eyes widened. "I think that's what the owl delivered!" she said in awe, running her fingers against the fancy creamy white paper. Unable to say anything as he was deep in thought, Harry took the rest of the mail to the kitchen and placed it on the kitchen table. He kept his letter and rounded the kitchen table to read it, Jemma eagerly standing on tiptoe to see what letter Harry had gotten.

"Ah, Marge is ill. Ate a funny whelk," Vernon announced as he read the mail. Then Dudley saw Harry's letter and ran to grab it. Jemma saw her big brother coming and tried to stop him but Dudley merely shoved her aside! "Owww!" Jemma yelped, hitting her head on one of the table legs. Harry knelt to help her up when Dudley seized his letter and ran off with it. "Dad, look! Harry's got a letter!" Dudley announced. "Hey, give it back! It's mine!" Harry protested, still helping Jemma up. "That's Harry's letter, you Dud! Give it back!" Jemma shouted angrily before wincing as her head ached.

"Oh, Jem dear! What happened to you?" Petunia took some ice from the kitchen fridge and wrapped it in cloth to put to her daughter's aching head. "Dudley pushed me and I hit my head! And he stole Harry's letter!" Jemma said crossly. Vernon laughed as he looked at Harry. "Yours? Who'd be writing to you?" he asked as he examined the letter, which read:

 _MR. H. POTTER_

 _The cupboard_ _ **under**_ _the stairs_

 _4 Privet Drive_

 _Little Whinging_

 _SURREY_

"How'd they know your _exact_ address?" Jemma asked curiously. Harry wasn't sure what to say and looked at his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. While Jemma looked curious, the rest of the Dursleys looked nervous.

The next day, Jemma watched as another owl swooped by and dropped in another letter for Harry. "Whoever's writing to Harry, they must be very important…" Jemma said to herself before heading inside. To her dismay, her Daddy had already collected the letters and was ripping them up. "Daddy, just give Harry his letter and let him read it. There's no harm in letting him read his own mail," Jemma said softly. "Letting that freak read his own mail is harm enough, Jemma darling," Vernon said gruffly as he ripped the letters until they were nothing but bits of paper. "Don't call him a freak," Jemma said, glaring at her father for once. "Listen to me here, young lady, that boy is nothing but trouble. You'd do well to listen to me and your mother for once and just stay away from him," Vernon said, his face turning red, trying not to be cross with his little girl. Too bad Jemma was stubborn and stomped her foot on the floor.

"Harry is my cousin! And you can't make me stay away from him! _He's family_!" Jemma said as strongly as she could before striding past her father with as much poise as her five-year-old self could allow her.

* * *

"No more mail through this letterbox," Vernon muttered as he drilled wood over the letterbox's opening. Jemma was out with her mother and Dudley so she hadn't been there to witness it. Harry watched through his cupboard and was a bit relieved that Jemma wasn't here. ' _If she was here, she'd throw a fit and get into trouble…Then again, when she sees the letterbox, she'll be really cross…I hope Uncle Vernon doesn't get mad at her…_ ' he thought miserably.

* * *

Jemma merely stared at the covered letterbox before giving her father the nastiest glare she could muster before heading up to her room, making sure to secretly hand Harry a wrapped sandwich as she went past him, and slammed the door as loudly as she could to show her family that she was _not_ pleased.

* * *

"Have a lovely day at the office, dear," Petunia kissed her husband goodbye before starting towards the house when Jemma ran outside and went, "Hooo! Hooo!" and giggled at a bunch of owls perched on the car. Petunia tried to shoo the owls away but they stayed. "Shoo! Go on!" Vernon also shooed the owls into flying off his car. One of them, a Spotted Owl, flapped over to Jemma and dropped an envelope into her hands. "Thank you!" Jemma chirped and ran inside only for her Mummy to catch up with her and snatch the letter out of her hands! "Mummy!" Jemma cried out as her mother threw the letter into the rubbish bin. "Jemma, upstairs now!" Petunia said crossly. "No!" Jemma pouted, standing her ground.

"Into your room this instant, young lady!"

Jemma didn't even squeak as her mother's palm swatted her bottom, trying her best to be brave, and silently went upstairs to her room where she burst into tears.

* * *

That night, Harry snuck upstairs to comfort her.

"I-I only w-w-wanted to give you your letter…" Jemma sniffled, having cried all afternoon, as Harry sat down on the floor next to her. Harry sighed and pulled Jemma into his lap. "Jemma, maybe it's best you forget about those letters. Who would write to me anyway?" he asked her softly as he rocked Jemma in his arms. "What if they're your other relatives? What if they know you're here and they want to take you home? You'd be better off with your real family than here…You could be happy…" Jemma said softly. Harry smiled and ruffled Jemma's short black hair. "Maybe…But, then, I'd have to go away and we won't see each other that much. I'd miss you…" he told his younger cousin. Jemma yawned and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "I'd miss you, too…But…" she managed to say before she fell asleep. Harry tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. "Goodnight, Jem…" he whispered as he left Jemma's room.

When he passed by the living room, Harry saw his Uncle Vernon dropping even more of his letters into the blazing fireplace. Seeing his nephew watching him, the Dursley patriarch grinned evilly and tossed a couple more in. Harry could only watch as his letters, maybe the only things that could connect him to his real family, were burnt to ashes in the fire.

* * *

Sunday morning, the whole family was sitting around in the living room while Harry served them cookies. Jemma was reading and looked up from her book when her father said, "Fine day, Sunday. In my opinion, best day of the week." Before rolling her eyes and going back to her book.

"Why is that, Dudley?" Vernon asked his son, who shrugged. "Jem, dear?" Vernon then turned to his daughter, who ignored him.

Harry handed his uncle a cookie and quietly asked, "Because there's no post on Sundays?" to which his Uncle Vernon happily replied, "Ah, right you are, Harry. No post on Sunday. Hah! No blasted letters today. No, sir."

Jemma sighed before seeing Harry stop at the window. Joining him by the window, Jemma gasped at the multitude of owls outside. There had to be millions of them!

"No, sir. Not one blasted, miserable—"

Vernon Dursley had just said those words when a letter shot out of the fireplace and zipped right past him. Glancing at the owls one more time, Jemma looked at Harry as a rumbling sound came from the fireplace. "Brace yourselves," she whispered to Harry just as _zillions_ of letters came shooting out of the fireplace!

Dudley and Petunia screamed and scrambled onto the couch, the former jumping onto the latter's lap. Vernon was just as panicked as his wife and son were and was frantically trying to stem the flow of letters coming forth from the fireplace. Only Harry and Jemma weren't afraid and were watching the letters float about in the air. "Quick! Grab one!" Jemma told Harry, jumping up and down.

Following his younger cousin's advice, Harry jumped onto the coffee table, grabbed a letter, and made a run for it. "Daddy, stop!" Jemma frantically tugged on her father's robe but Vernon broke free from her grasp and chased after Harry, bellowing, "Give me that! Give me that letter!"

Harry managed to make it to his cupboard, where he could hope to read his letter in peace, but his Uncle Vernon grabbed him! "Get off!" Harry protested, flailing about. "Let him go, Daddy, and let him read his letter!" Jemma said shrilly, the letters now completely invading the house and filling every nook and cranny up with them. "They're my letters! Let go of me!" Harry's pleas fell on deaf ears as his Uncle Vernon shouted, "That's it! We're going away! Far away! Where they can't find us!" his face as red as a tomato.

Jemma's brown eyes widened in shock while her Mummy had turned pale. "Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?!" Dudley squeaked in fright. Harry helplessly struggled in his Uncle Vernon's arms as his letter was, once again, taken.

* * *

There was barely enough time for the family to pack their things as the house was overflowing with letters. All Jemma managed to pack were a few clothes, shoes, and a book of her favorite fairytales before she and the family moved to a lonely little shack near a lighthouse by the sea. And, to make matters worse, Harry was treated more harshly than ever before and it broke little Jemma's heart.

That's why, on the night before Harry's 11th birthday, she surprised him with a homemade birthday card.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you those 11 presents I promised. I hope this makes up for it," she said shyly as she handed Harry his card. Harry smiled as he held it up to the little bit of light from the small torch he and Jemma had between them. It was a simple birthday card, really, with a crayon drawing of Harry, a birthday cake with 11 candles on top of it, and the words ' _Happy Birthday, Harry!_ ' scrawled at the card's very top in red and yellow crayon. "This more than makes up for it, Jem," Harry smiled and gave his little cousin a hug. The two of them then got to work, drawing a birthday cake in the dirt. "I wish we could have a real cake, though…Dirt doesn't sound like a good-tasting cake," Jemma sighed before hearing the beep from Dudley's watch.

It was 12:00AM. His birthday.

"Make a wish, Harry," he said quietly to himself and blew the dirt candles on the cake.

Suddenly a loud thump came from the door!

Jumping up in surprise, Harry quickly pulled Jemma behind him as Dudley woke up. When another thump sounded from the door, both Harry and Dudley jumped and Jemma tightened her grip on Harry's shirt. ' _Please let it be just the storm…Please let it just be the storm…_ ' Jemma thought fearfully as she watched lightning flash outside the window. Petunia and Vernon came downstairs, Vernon wielding a gun, before the door suddenly banged open and a giant man came in!

"Sorry 'bout that," the giant man apologized before putting the door, which had fallen down, back up on its hinges.

"Whoa…" Jemma breathed out before Harry blocked her view of what she supposed was a giant. "I demand that you leave at once, sir! You are breaking and entering!" Vernon spat out and pointed his gun. But the giant man merely took it from him and bent it! "Neat!" Jemma said, amazed, before Harry gently but firmly placed a hand over her mouth.

"Dry up, Dursley, you great prune," the giant man said as the gun let out a shot! "Ahhh!" the rest of the family screamed, except for Jemma as Harry was covering her mouth. "Mmmpph! Mmmff…" the youngest Dursley tapped on Harry's hand, making him uncover her mouth. Once she was able to talk freely, Jemma went straight to the man and asked, "Are you a giant?" her big brown eyes wide with curiosity. "Jemma, get away from him!" Petunia screamed. The giant man chuckled and gently patted Jemma's head with a meaty hand. "Half-giant, m'am. Lovely book you got there," he said, gesturing to Jemma's fairytale book, which Harry had been reading to her before it got too dark. "Thank you, sir!" Jemma said politely, smiling. It wasn't every day she got to meet a half-giant and here she was meeting one!

The giant man then looked at Dudley and smiled. "Mind, I haven't seen you since you was a baby, Harry, but you're a bit more along than I would have expected. Particularly 'round the middle!" he greeted Dudley. "I-I-I'm not Harry," Dudley said nervously. Jemma tugged on the giant man's sleeve and pointed to her cousin.

"I-I am," Harry stuttered. The half-giant man smiled. "Oh, well, of course you are! Got something for ya. 'Fraid I might have sat on it at some point! I imagine that it'll taste fine just the same," he said, handing Harry a white box tied with a thin blue ribbon. Harry carefully opened it as the strange guest said, "Baked it myself, words and all. Heh." Revealing a pink frosted chocolate cake with the words ' _Happee Birdae Harry_ ' in green icing. Harry smiled widely. He had never gotten a real birthday cake before! "Thank you!" he looked up at the man and smiled. "It's not every day that your young man turns eleven, now is it?" the half-giant winked at him. Jemma was smiling as well. Finally, someone was treating Harry to something he rightfully deserved!

"Have a seat, sir! You must be very tired," Jemma said, gesturing to a couch. "Thank you, kind lass," the half-giant smiled at her and sat on the couch, squashing it, before taking out his umbrella. With two ' _poofs!_ ' the cold fireplace was ablaze. "Whoa, that was like magic!" Jemma exclaimed, eyes wide in wonder.

Harry put the cake down and stood next to his cousin, in case she needed to be protected, and carefully asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"

" _Rubeus Hagrid_. Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. 'Course you'll know all about Hogwarts," the half-giant, Hagrid, said. "Sorry, no," Harry said, shaking his head. "No?" Hagrid blinked his beady eyes at him before saying, "Blimey, Harry, didn't you ever wonder where your mum and dad learned it all?"

Jemma cocked her head to the side in confusion. How did Hagrid know about Harry's parents?

"Learnt what?" Harry asked, confused but curious.

What Hagrid said next surprised him and Jemma.

"You're a wizard, Harry."

Jemma's brown eyes widened the same time as Harry's green.

"I-I'm a what?" Harry asked, completely baffled.

"A wizard. And a thumping good one at that, I'd wager. Once you train up a little," Hagrid told him with a proud smile. "Harry's magic?" Jemma asked, eyes wide, to which Hagrid nodded. But Harry, himself, had a hard time believing it. "No, you've made a mistake. I can't be...a-a wizard. I mean, I'm just... Harry. Just Harry," he said, wondering if he had fallen asleep and was having a weird dream. Hagrid then looked at him knowingly. "Well, Just Harry, did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?" he asked.

At Hagrid's question, Jemma spoke up. "Once when I was picked on by Dudley when I was three, Harry cheered me up by giving me flowers he grew from his hand. He just opened his palm and a daisy grew! It was very pretty!" she said sweetly. Harry smiled a bit and playfully ruffled his younger cousin's hair.

' _Sweet little one now, she is…_ ' Hagrid thought, smiling at the duo's closeness, before handing Harry a letter.

Seeing the letter, Jemma fixed a pointed stare at her family, as if daring them to stop Harry from reading. Once he was sure his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia weren't going to stop him, Harry opened the envelope and read the letter.

"Dear, Mr. Potter. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Jemma gasped in amazement before her father stood up. "He'll not be going! We swore when we took him in wed put an end to this rubbish!" Vernon exclaimed crossly. "What?" Jemma's mouth dropped open in shock. Her father had known about this? Why hadn't he told Harry?

"You knew? You knew all along and you never told me?" Harry rounded on his Aunt and Uncle, feeling confused and shocked all at the same time. Aunt Petunia, standing up, decided to come clean. "Of course we knew. How could you not be? My _perfect_ sister being who she was," She began.

Jemma put a hand to her head, her mind whirling with thoughts. Her mother's sister, Harry's mother, had been magic and the family kept it a secret all this time…

"Oh, my mother and father were so proud the day she got her letter. We have a witch in the family. Isn't it wonderful? I was the only one to see her for what she was. A freak! And then she met that Potter, and then she had you, and I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as...abnormal. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up! And we got landed with you," Aunt Petunia told her nephew spitefully. "Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!" Harry said almost angrily. "Mummy, you lied?" Jemma asked in horror.

"A car crash? A car crash killed James and Lily Potter?" Hagrid repeated, shocked himself. "We had to tell him something," Petunia said simply. "It's an outrage! It's a scandal!" Hagrid said, beside himself with anger. "He'll not be going!" Vernon said firmly. "Oh, and I suppose a great Muggle like yourself is going to stop him, are you?" Hagrid challenged him.

"Muggle?" Harry and Jemma both asked. "Non-magic folk," Hagrid informed the two before looking at Petunia and Vernon. "This boy's had his name down ever since he was born! He's going to the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world, and he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts' has ever seen: _Albus Dumbledore_ ," he told the two.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jemma saw Dudley going for the cake. ' _Greedy pig, that Dud…_ ' she thought, shaking her head, before her Daddy blew up at Hagrid with, "I will not pay for some crackpot old fool to teach him magic tricks!" forcing Hagrid's hand.

Whipping out his umbrella and pointing it at Vernon, Hagrid said in a low and dangerous tone, "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me."

Then, seeing Dudley eating Harry's cake, Hagrid pointed his umbrella at the oldest Dursley child's bottom. Jemma couldn't help but laugh as a small burst of magic hit her older brother's rear and, from it, a little gray pig's tail grew!

Oh, and how Jemma delighted in her older brother's misfortune.

She and Harry were both laughing, clutching their bellies, as Petunia and Vernon chased after a frightened Dudley. Hagrid looked a bit sheepish and awkwardly said, "Oh, um, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell anyone at Hogwarts about that. Strictly speaking, I'm not allowed to do magic,"

"Okay." "Your secret's safe with us, Mr. Hagrid." Harry and Jemma nodded.

Hagrid smiled before seeing the clock. "Ooh, we're a bit behind schedule. Best be off. Unless you'd rather stay, of course. Hmm?" he asked Harry before heading for the door. Harry grinned and went to the doorway before looking back and, hearing his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's frightened screams with Dudley's terrified yelps as they tried to get rid of his tail, grinning again. Hagrid then saw Jemma put on her shoes and grabbed her torch. "Can I come, too? Even just for a little while?" the youngest Dursley asked hopefully. Harry nodded and took Jemma's hand in his but Hagrid looked unsure.

"Ehm…Sorry, Miss…Miss…" Hagrid started awkwardly before Jemma held out her hand. "Jemma. Jemma Dursley's the name, Mr. Hagrid," Jemma introduced herself. Hagrid shook Jemma's hand before sighing. "Sorry, Miss Jemma but…Muggles aren't exactly allowed into the wizard world that much…" he said.

Jemma's smile faded and Harry looked up at Hagrid pleadingly. "Oh…Okay…" Jemma said quietly. "Can she at least see me off, Hagrid? Or help me look for things I need for school? We can bring her back before I need to leave," Harry managed to say before Hagrid glanced outside. "I'm 'fraid not, Harry. The Ministry of Magic wouldn't let us take a Muggle in," he said sadly. Harry looked down at the ground, torn, before he felt Jemma tugging on his sleeve.

"You go on with Hagrid, Harry. I'll be okay," Jemma smiled her sweet, soft smile at him. Harry nodded and knelt down to Jemma's eye level. "I'll write every day to you, Jem. And I'll tell you all about my time in Hogwarts when I get back," he gazed into his younger cousin's brown eyes, his emerald green eyes reflected back in hers. "Promise?" Jemma whispered. "Promise," Harry swore before stiffening up when Jemma reached out her hand and gently touched his scar.

' _Just like when she was a baby…When I met her for the first time…_ ' Harry thought before Jemma embraced him. "I'll miss you…" she whispered. Harry smiled and hugged her back tightly as if she would slip away from him. "I'll miss you, too, Jem…" he whispered back. Letting go of each other, Harry and Jemma looked at each other and smiled.

"Bye, Harry!" Jemma waved her cousin goodbye as he and Hagrid left. Harry kept looking back at Jemma until he and Hagrid left the shack. Now, Jemma stood there in the doorway and she was already looking forward to hearing from Harry about Hogwarts and magic.

Then the screams of her family brought her back to reality.

' _Better go try to help Mummy and Daddy get rid of Dud's tail before they lose their heads…_ ' Jemma thought, rolling her eyes, and heading back inside as the storm began to abate.

* * *

 **Read and review! Those 2 things make me very happy ;)**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	4. Chapter 4

**I have to admit, I've gotten into this story :) Don't worry my HTTYD and ROTG fans, updates to those two fandoms' stories shall be updated soon. In the meantime, more of Jemma's adorableness coming up!**

 **And, in reply to PrincessAnime8's review, Jemma will get to go to the wizarding world – in Prisoner of Azkaban ;)**

 **Until that chapter, enjoy this!**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter. ALL RIGHTS GO TO J.K. Rowling AND Warner Bros.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Magic is Real**

When Harry left with Hagrid, his Aunt and Uncle were relieved. The family went back to Privet Drive and tried to go back to their normal lives. The only problem was when Harry came back, with all of his school things, and they had to drive him to London to board the train to Hogwarts.

Jemma didn't mind the long drive. She sat next to Harry for the whole trip ( _Dudley made sure to stay as far away from the two as possible_ ) and she got to meet Hedwig, her cousin's pet Snowy Owl. And, in hushed tones, Harry told her about his trip to Diagon Alley where he got his books, his robes, Hedwig, and his wand.

"It was incredible, Jemma. This whole place was hidden behind a brick wall in London and Hagrid tapped it with his umbrella and, then, it was there. Then we were at this pub and…everyone recognized me. It was strange being recognized by all those people, though, so I was a bit relieved to leave with Hagrid to get my wand. We were at this shop, Ollivander's, and there were loads of them. I had to try out several until I found the right one," her cousin told her, his emerald green eyes bright. "Can I see it, Harry?" Jemma asked excitedly. "See what, Jem?" Harry asked, wondering which of his new Hogwarts things his little cousin wanted to see. "Your wand! Can I see your wand?" Jemma chirped. Smiling, Harry pulled it out of his coat pocket. It was made out of holly wood and was 11 inches long, a very enchanting thing to look at. Jemma looked at the wand in awe before Harry handed it to her.

"Here, you can hold it," Harry smiled at her. Jemma grinned and reached out to take the wand before her mother craned her neck to look behind at the back seat, where the three cousins were seated, and saw her. "Jemma Dursley, don't you dare touch that…that…thing!" Petunia told her daughter sternly before sharply looking at Harry. "And you! Put it away!" she ordered. Harry reluctantly pocketed his wand and gave Jemma and apologetic look. Jemma looked a bit disappointed but she still managed a smile and said, "I bet you'll be able to cast a lot of cool spells with your wand, Harry."

King's Cross Station was busy as usual when the Dursleys dropped off Harry at Platform 9. But, looking at Harry's ticket, Jemma was confused while the rest of her family ridiculed her cousin.

"Platform 9 **¾**? Have you ever heard such a thing?" Vernon laughed, publicly ridiculing his nephew, before leaving with his family. Jemma, on the other hand, thought hard before looking at Harry. "Maybe, like when Hagrid revealed the entrance to Diagon Alley, there's a magic way to get to Platform 9 **¾** ," she suggested. Harry nodded before kneeling down to Jemma's eye level. "You better go with your family…" he said, sad to have to leave his younger cousin. "You're my family, too, Harry," Jemma said softly and that was when Harry knew that, while his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Cousin Dudley were going to treat him twice as horribly as before when he got back from his first year in Hogwarts, he would always have a ray of sunshine in the form of little Jemma back at 4 Privet Drive.

Smiling, Harry gave Jemma one last hug. "I'll write to you soon, Jem," he promised. "Okay, Harry. Love you," Jemma said sweetly and brushed her hand against Harry's scar again before giving him a little kiss on the nose, giggling. Then Harry let go of her as his Aunt Petunia came to take her. "Bye!" Jemma waved to him until she and her family left the station. And Harry waved back, mouthing, " _Love you, too_."

* * *

When they arrived home, the Dursleys had a "family meeting" in the living room.

"From this moment on, we do not speak of the boy. Any letter we get from him gets thrown out. Any talk of him will not be allowed," Mr. Vernon Dursley said sternly, his wife and son nodding solemnly. Only Jemma objected and said, "But Harry said that he was going to write to me. And why can't we talk about him? Shouldn't we be happy for him?"

Mrs. Petunia Dursley sighed and gently placed her hand on Jemma's shoulder. "Jem dear, as much as we know how much you adore the boy, your father and I only want to keep you safe. What the boy can do it's…it's not natural. And he'll be a bad influence to you in the long run," she said in, what seemed to Jemma, a condescending tone. Jemma's brown eyes flashed in anger and she abruptly stood up from her chair.

"The boy, Mummy and Daddy, is my cousin Harry. And if you all think he's a bad influence then, clearly, there's something wrong with all of your heads."

Petunia gasped and put a hand to her chest and Dudley's eyes widened to the size of saucers while Vernon's face turned hot pink. Jemma merely stood up straight, hands on her hips, and glared at her family. "Jemma Marie Dursley, I forbid you to speak of magic and the boy for as long as you're under my roof!" the Dursley patriarch all but blew up at his five-year-old daughter's face. "Magic is real! And Harry's going to be the best wizard ever! I may not be magic but I certainly know it exists and you can't stop me from writing to Harry and you can't stop him from writing to me while he's at his school!" Jemma shouted back.

' _SLAP!_ '

"Vernon!" Petunia shrieked in horror while Dudley nearly fell out of his chair in shock. Vernon's face was all purple now but rapidly paled when he saw Jemma sprawled out on the carpet, holding her stinging right cheek, and realized what he'd done. But before Vernon could splutter an apology, Jemma sprang to her feet and bolted. Locking her bedroom door, Jemma threw herself onto her bed and cried.

"Magic is real…I know it is…" Jemma cried softly to herself. Suddenly she heard chirping and got her face out of the pillow she'd been crying into. A robin had perched on her windowsill and was looking at her curiously. Silently making her way to the windowsill, Jemma engaged in a staring contest. Finally, after a full minute-and-a-half, the robin chirped at her. "Hello to you, too, Ms. Flitteron," Jemma smiled. The robin, Ms. Flitteron, chirped back. "Oh, I'm just sad because I miss my cousin Harry. He's at this magic school now but my parents don't want me talking about him or about magic. They've always been so horrid to Harry…" Jemma explained. Ms. Flitteron then hopped closer to Jemma so she could pet her. "My family doesn't want to believe in magic but I do. What do _you_ think I should do, Ms. Flitteron?" Jemma asked the bird. Ms. Flitteron let out a few chirps and sang a robin's song before flying off.

Jemma smiled. She knew what to do. And that was to believe in magic no matter what everyone said. She would be called strange for sure but so what?

Jemma always loved to be strange.

* * *

After apologizing profusely, Jemma's parents reluctantly allowed Harry's letters to be read by Jemma so long as she read them while the rest of the family wasn't around. Hedwig came by a week later with Harry's first letter and after feeding Hedwig a bit of her leftover cereal Jemma went upstairs to her room with the envelope. After admiring the fancy lettering and wax seal on it, Jemma opened the envelope and sat down at her desk and began to read.

 _Dear Jemma,_

 _I hope you're doing well back there. My first night at Hogwarts, I found myself wide awake, and thinking of how you were doing and if Dudley had started picking on you again. But I know you, Jem. You know every trick in the book to outsmart that pig in a wig any day._

 _When you and your family left, I found myself hopelessly lost. How was I going to find a train platform with the number 9_ **¾**? _Luckily, I met this nice wizarding family and they taught me how to get to the platform. Turns out you have to run straight into the wall between Platforms 9 and 10! You were right, Jem! There's a magic way to get to Platform 9_ **¾** _. On the train, I met Ron Weasley, who's the youngest son of the same family who helped me get to the right train platform, and Hermione Granger, this very clever girl. They're really nice and, like in Diagon Alley, they knew about me before I even met them. It's strange being famous when you don't know what you're famous about._

 _Well, Hagrid told me about why I'm famous back in Diagon Alley. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you when I came back to Privet Drive last week. Also, I'm not sure if you'd want to know about it. The story Hagrid told me is kind of scary and I think I should keep it a secret…at least until you tell me that you want to know._

 _All right, back to the train ride. It was a pleasant journey as Ron and I feasted on all sorts of wizard sweets. I'll buy you a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (and Ron's serious about them meaning_ _ **Every Flavor**_ _– there's spinach, liver, tripe, and bogey flavored ones!) and some Chocolate Frogs before I head back there for the summer. I think you'd like that very much. When the train arrived at the station, Hagrid was there to lead us to the boats._

 _And, Jemma, Hogwarts is actually a school built inside a castle and it's amazing. The ceiling, when we entered the Great Hall, was enchanted to look like the night sky. Hermione told me that she had read about it in this book, "Hogwarts: A History", and that got me thinking of finding a copy for you. I know you love to read. Maybe I'll let you take a look at my books when I get back, provided that your parents will let me._

 _There are these four houses in Hogwarts that you have to be sorted in: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. How did we get sorted, you ask?_

 _Through the Sorting Hat!_

 _And, mind you, this is no ordinary hat. Once it's placed on your head, the Sorting Hat talks! Hermione and Ron got sorted into Gryffindor while this other boy I met, Draco Malfoy, got sorted into Slytherin. I actually met Malfoy in Diagon Alley when I was getting fitted for my robes. I think I should tell you about him so you'll know to avoid him if you ever see him, Jem. I don't think I like Malfoy that much. He looks like bad news. Anyway, I was really nervous when my name was called. I was muttering under my breath,_ "Not Slytherin…Not Slytherin…Anything but Slytherin…" _the whole time. I think the Sorting Hat wanted to sort me into Slytherin but, thankfully, he took my choice into account and sorted me into Gryffindor. Hermione and Ron were very happy with that. I think I can already consider them my friends._

 _Ron's a good bloke and he's helping me get accustomed to magic, teaching me how to play wizard's chess and how some magical items work, while Hermione's been a great help in my lessons. I swear that she's a magical version of Einstein reincarnated!_

 _The teachers are pretty nice, too, and the classes are interesting. I'd tell you more but I'm afraid I have to go do my homework. I'll write to you about the teachers and classes in Hogwarts in my next letter. And maybe I'll write about Quidditch, too. Until then, I made a few drawings of the four houses' symbols and included them in this letter along with my first Chocolate Frog card. Incidentally, I got Albus Dumbledore and he's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Write to you soon._

 _Your Cousin,_

 _Harry_

 _PS: Don't be surprised when Dumbledore suddenly disappears from his card. He can't stick around forever y'know._

Included in the envelope, like Harry had written, were four folded sheets of parchment paper and a small, colorful, pentagon-shaped card with the face of an old bespectacled wizard that had a beard almost as bushy white as Santa Claus'. "Funny wizard," Jemma giggled and placed the card near the opened envelope. Unfolding the parchment papers, Jemma's brown eyes widened as she gazed at the Gryffindor Lion, the Hufflepuff Badger, the Ravenclaw Raven, and the Slytherin Serpent. After looking at the drawings and deciding to try copying them for her art class, Jemma grabbed some paper to write back to Harry. When she stopped writing for a moment, Jemma glanced at the Chocolate Frog card.

Like Harry had warned her, Dumbledore wasn't there.

When she finished writing her letter and rolling it up, Jemma wondered how she would mail it to Harry. Luckily for her, Hedwig came to her window. The Snowy Owl hooted and ruffled her plumage. "Sorry for taking so long, Hedwig," Jemma apologized as she attached her letter to Hedwig's leg. Once Hedwig took flight, Ms. Flitteron came back for her daily chat with Jemma.

"Oh, Ms. Flitteron! I have so much to tell you!" the youngest Dursley smiled and began to tell her little friend about school and, most of all, her cousin Harry and his letter.

* * *

Harry smiled as Hedwig arrived with the rest of the owls. When he saw the rolled up letter attached to his owl's leg, Harry knew that Jemma had gotten his letter. Finishing breakfast, he found a quiet spot to read it.

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Thank you so much for your letter. I'm glad you found your way to Platform 9_ **¾** _after I left. I was afraid you'd gotten lost or missed your train. And it was such fun to read your letter! I felt like I was right there with you. Ron and Hermione sound like nice people. I wish I could meet them. Maybe during summer, we can invite them over for tea and I can ask them about life in the wizarding world._

 _Hold up, I probably shouldn't for two reasons. One being Mummy and Daddy having a fit and the other being me too eager, but can you blame me? I'd love to know more about magic!_

 _I love your drawings! I'm thinking of copying them for my art class, which I hope you don't mind._

 _Harry, I'm not going to lie to you. Mummy and Daddy don't want me talking about you or about magic while in the house. Dudley's taken to picking on me more now that you're gone but it's okay. I know how to lock myself in my room and survive a few hours in solitary confinement. And I'm not really alone. I have Ms. Flitteron to keep me company. She's a robin and I can talk to her and she can talk to me._

 _I know, crazy, right?_

 _I don't know how I can do it but I can understand what Ms. Flitteron says (or, more accurately, chirps) to me as if she were human. I think I can understand Hedwig too as she told me to hurry up in sending my letter to you because she had to go back to the Owlery at Hogwarts before it got too late. I'll try to show you how I can talk to birds when you come back. I'll ask Hedwig a question and I'll translate her answer to you!_

 _I wish I could come and visit you when you're not too busy with schoolwork. I'd love to meet Ron and Hermione in person. And I bet you've made lots of new friends as well. I'll make sure to stay away from this Malfoy boy like you told me to. What does he look like? You didn't exactly describe to me how your friends look and I hope you can tell me more about them in your next letter._

 _Also, thanks for the Chocolate Frog card. Albus Dumbledore…he seems like a nice Headmaster. If I get a chance to visit you in Hogwarts, I hope to meet him._

 _Don't get into too much trouble, Harry, or I'll give you an earful when you get back to 4 Privet Drive! Be safe and good luck with lessons!_

 _Lots and lots of love,_

 _Jemma_

 _PS: That story Hagrid told you about how you became famous there…I'd like to hear it when you get back._

Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione, his now two best friends in Hogwarts, came to him. "Who's it from, Harry?" Ron asked, looking at the sheet of paper scrawled with a little girl's surprisingly neat handwriting. "Jemma," Harry replied, still smiling. "Oh, your cousin Dudley's younger sister?" Hermione asked this time. Still smiling, Harry nodded. Ron and Hermione read the letter for themselves and couldn't help but smile.

"Well I think it's a good thing you didn't tell Jemma about Hermione's hair. It looks like a wild badger got into it," Ron smirked before yelping as Hermione whacked him in the head with one of her books. Hermione gave Ron a quick glare before seeing how happy Harry was as he held Jemma's letter. "She must be really sweet," she remarked. "The sweetest. She's the only one in the Dursleys who cares about me…" Harry said softly.

And that morning in Hogwarts was spent with Ron and Hermione listening to Harry's tales about a sweet, brown-eyed girl, with a heart of pure gold.

* * *

 **Read, review, and feel free to gush over the cuteness! Thank you :)**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we have a peek at some of the letters Harry and Jemma write to each other, a show of Jemma's budding rebelliousness, Harry's return to 4 Privet Drive, and the strengthening of the bond between two cousins. Enjoy!**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Cousins Together; Friends Forever**

Harry and Jemma's correspondence continued on a weekly basis. Harry, at the end of each week, regardless of his busy schedule, would write Jemma a letter, include a drawing or two, and send it to her via Hedwig. And Jemma would write back to him, usually telling her of her time in school and whatnot, and Hedwig would be the one to deliver it.

 _Dear Jemma,_

 _My teachers in Hogwarts definitely know their magic. Professor McGonagall is our Professor in Transfiguration, the art of changing the form and appearance of an object, and the Head of Gryffindor. She's a bit strict so best not to get on her bad side. Professor Quirrel is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He's a turbaned fellow who tends to stutter a lot. I wonder if he suffered a terrible fright a long time ago. I feel a bit bad for him, to be honest. In Potions, we have Professor Snape. He's the Head of Slytherin House. A funny thing happened when I first saw him at the Welcoming Feast, though. My scar, the one you touched before I left, suddenly started to ache. I wonder if it's a warning…I don't like Snape that much myself. He's almost as bad as Malfoy…almost…_

 _Like you asked me to, I might as well let you know what my friends look like. Ron's got red hair and freckles so you won't have a hard time spotting him. And Hermione's got bushy brown hair. They're both fun to be with and, now, it's like we've been best friends our whole lives! Malfoy, the one I told you to avoid should you ever meet him or see him, has almost white blond hair and he's every bit the Slytherin he is: cunning, mean, and untrustworthy. Don't try to have a go at him, Jem. The last thing I want to happen to you is be subjected to Malfoy's bullying. But if that ever happened…I'd probably try to hex him really bad. He can have a go at me but you're off limits, no exceptions._

 _We had our first Flying Lesson a few days back under Madame Hooch. And it was incredible, Jem! I thought only witches we see on Halloween ride brooms but, apparently, wizards do too! It was rather eventful for me because one of my classmates, a boy also in Gryffindor named Neville Longbottom, lost control of his broom and ended up with a broken wrist. Then Malfoy took his Remembrall (magical item that reminds you if you've forgotten something) and tried to hide it on the roof. That's when I decided to stand up to him and, well, I disobeyed Madame Hooch's orders of staying on the ground while she took Neville to the hospital wing and flew after Malfoy._

 _All right, Jemma, before you get mad at me, I'll tell you that two good things came out of the incident: Professor McGonagall let me off the hook and I became the youngest Seeker in a century (according to McGonagall) for the Gryffindor Quidditch team! And, guess what, my Dad was a Seeker in Gryffindor too! Imagine that! All my life, I knew nothing about my parents but, here, I'm learning so much about them. I hope I can be half as good as they were…_

 _On Quidditch, it's a rough game (according to Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George) that is the equivalent of Muggle football, according to Hagrid. The playing field is located a bit away from the castle and it's got three hoops. There are three types of balls used in the game: the Quaffle, the Bludger, and the Golden Snitch. There are seven players to each team: Two Beaters, like Fred and George, have the job of keeping two Bludgers (they're these heavy iron balls that whiz about the playing field) away from their team while aiming them at the opposing team. Three Chasers are tasked with throwing the Quaffle (it's like a basketball except not orange) through the three hoops I mentioned earlier. A Keeper, like our Quidditch team captain Oliver Wood, defends the hoops from the opposing team. Finally the Seeker is tasked with catching the Golden Snitch. I haven't exactly played yet but Wood's brushing me up on the basics. The Golden Snitch is going to be a hard thing to catch, I reckon', because it's so small and its got these wings that flap like a hummingbird's. It's unpredictable and I hope I'll be able to come close to catching it. I'm a little nervous, to be honest, Jem. What if I make a fool of myself and cost the team a loss?_

 _Wood's calling me for practice. Our first game for the season is coming up. I'll write again soon…_

 _Oh, and before I forget, I made a sketch of the castle. I hope you like it._

 _Until the next letter,_

 _Harry_

Through Harry's letters, Jemma found herself more and more immersed in the world of magic. She learned about spells such as the Levitation Charm, the different classes in Hogwarts ( _Defense Against the Dark Arts fascinated her_ ), and what she thought was the most interesting – Quidditch. A game played several feet in the air, riding broomsticks, with Golden Snitches and out-of-control Bludgers? Amazing!

And, as the months went by, Jemma's conversations with Ms. Flitteron became more interesting. The first time she talked to Ms. Flitteron outside of the house, while in school, her schoolmates had teased her and called her "Cuckoo Jemmy" all the way home. Her Mummy had not been pleased and looked at her as if she were a freak like Harry. She figured that talking to birds out loud was only going to be trouble so Jemma began the arduous task of communicating to them telepathically. It often resulted in her getting headaches and becoming exasperated. She read books about telepathy and honed her skill until, finally on Halloween, she was able to talk to Ms. Flitteron with her mind.

' _What's it like flying, Ms. Flitteron?_ ' she asked her robin friend. ' _It's wonderful, Jemma. You should try it some time,_ ' Ms. Flitteron chirped. _'I wish I could…'_ Jemma sighed in her mind. _'Maybe you can ask your cousin Harry. If he's on the Quidditch team and they use flying broomsticks to play, maybe you can borrow a broomstick and go out for a flight?'_ Ms. Flitteron suggested. ' _Mummy and Daddy probably won't let me…'_ Jemma thought sadly before hearing her parents call her for trick-or-treating.

Smiling, Jemma looked in the mirror to make sure her costume wasn't missing any details. To be honest, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley weren't very happy with her costume choice. They'd been hoping that Jemma would don her fairy princess outfit because it was such a big hit with the neighbors.

Instead, Jemma went out trick-or-treating in her best imitation of a Hogwarts student's uniform and, whenever she was asked what she was supposed to be, she would smile and give them the same answer.

"I'm a witch-in-training."

* * *

 _Dear Harry,_

 _I got your letter when I came home from trick-or-treating. Congratulations on winning your first Quidditch match! I bet those Slytherins never stood a chance! I can imagine Malfoy's face as you caught that Golden Snitch, it must have been priceless!_

 _You know, Harry, the more I hear about the world of magic, the more drawn I am to it. I don't care what Mummy and Daddy say, magic is real and I know it is. And, Harry, guess what? I can talk to birds now with my mind! I just think what I want to say to them and I imagine throwing my words at them with my brain. Then, after a while, they talk back to me. I'm getting the hang of it and I can't wait to show it to you. I think it's some sort of magic. Can you ask your teachers if talking to birds with your mind can be considered magic? If it is, that would be so cool!_

 _But I have to keep it a secret. Mummy and Daddy want absolutely nothing to do with magic. If they hear about my conversations with Ms. Flitteron and the neighborhood pigeons, they might ship me off an asylum or something._

 _Ooh, I feel like we're sharing secrets only we can know. I kind of like it – us sharing our secrets._

 _Write to you soon,_

 _Jemma_

Jemma's letters were a source of comfort to Harry. He kept every single one in a safe place and, on Christmas, he received another homemade Christmas card from her. He made sure to send her a special Christmas card with a moving picture of him, Ron, and Hermione. He figured it'd be a great surprise to her to see the picture move.

The school year passed and, boy, was it eventful for Harry. He and his friends had learned all sorts of lessons, faced a giant three-headed dog, saw a dragon egg hatch, and went through a gauntlet of magic challenges. And he had seen his parents in the Mirror of Erised and…faced You-Know-Who in the form of Professor Quirrel.

When he arrived in King's Cross, his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Cousin Dudley weren't so happy to see him.

Only one was ecstatic to see him again.

" _Harry!_ " Jemma squealed and sprinted into Harry's waiting arms. "Hello, Jemma," Harry smiled widely at his younger cousin. "I missed you so much! How was first year? And…Dear me, what happened to your hand?!" Jemma exclaimed in rapid succession before Harry laughed and kissed her cute little nose. Jemma giggled and was eager to hear Harry tell her about his first year in Hogwarts.

Her parents immediately locked all of Harry's school things ( _even his wand and Nimbus 2000 broomstick!_ ) in his cupboard so Jemma was a bit disappointed. She'd been wanting to have a go on Harry's broomstick and, finally, get a taste of flight but her parents merely sent Harry upstairs to his room, which was Dudley's second bedroom but now his.

* * *

She didn't get to talk to Harry until after dinner was over and the family had gone to bed, where she had managed to steal the keys to his room and let herself in. Hiding under the blanket, the two cousins whispered.

"A three-headed dog and his name was _Fluffy_ and not Cerberus like in the Greek myths?" Jemma asked, eyes wide. "Yeah, I can't believe Hagrid named him that. Then there was _Norbert_ , the dragon he tried to raise before Dumbledore sent him to live with a colony in Romania," Harry nodded. "What I can't believe is that Professor Quirrel was hiding an evil wizard under his turban. Was he…" Jemma began to ask before Harry interrupted her. "Jem, you wrote to me in your first letter that you wanted to know about why I'm so famous in the wizarding world…Do you still want to know?" Harry asked quietly. Jemma could sense the apprehension in her cousin's voice but nodded.

And so Harry told her; about Lord Voldemort, his parents standing up to him, how they died, and how Voldemort failed to kill him.

"That's how I got my scar…My Mum's love saved me…" Harry said softly, unconsciously touching his scar. Jemma took the story in and her face was grave. "Jem, I don't know what else I'll be facing in Hogwarts and I don't want you to get hurt…As much as possible, live a normal life. Some bad wizards may still be out there and…and if they ever find out about you, Dudley, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon…I don't want you to get involved in whatever trouble I'll be in. Can you do that for me, Jem? Try to live a normal life?" her cousin asked her, almost pleading with her.

After a minute of silence, Jemma nodded. "I'll try my best, Harry. But, just so you know, I'm as drawn to magic as a moth to a flame. I'll behave like any other Muggle but…if you ever need someone to just talk to…I'll be here," she smiled. Harry smiled as his younger cousin crawled into his lap. "You know something, Jem?" he whispered as they hugged. "What?" Jemma asked quietly. "That's what I promised to you when you were a baby…That if you ever needed someone to talk to…I'll be here," Harry replied.

"Let's make a pact. From then on, we're _cousins together; friends forever_. We look out for each other no matter what," Jemma grinned as she held out her pinky finger. "Cousins together; friends forever," Harry grinned back as they pinky promised.

That night, on Harry's return to 4 Privet Drive from his first year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, two cousins formed a bond that was as strong as any kind of magic.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm going back to college in three days so I might not be able to update as frequently as before. But, seriously, thank you to everyone who started supporting this one-shot collection not long after I published it. It means so much :)**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	6. Chapter 6

**This takes place at the beginning of Chamber of Secrets. And, in case anyone wants to know, I've made a cover image for this story. Hope y'all like it!**

 **NOTE: I do not own Harry Potter**

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 **Chapter Six: Of House Elves and Flying Cars**

"I hate this dress."

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and soon to be a twelve-year-old, couldn't help but smile in amusement at his six-year-old cousin, Jemma Dursley, as she stood before him wearing what he thought was a rather elegant formal dress.

But for Jemma, it was an abomination of puffy sleeves, tacky pastel pinks, and petticoats. To make matters worse, her hair was done up in fancy ringlets and she had this abnormally large pink bow in her hair that she so badly wanted to rip off her head. "Harry, do me a favor and _please_ use your transfiguration spells on me. I don't like this dress one bit…" Jemma complained, frowning as her black shoes pinched her toes. "I would if I could, but I'm not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts. Besides, Jem, I think you look pretty," Harry told her. "I don't want to be pretty! I want to be _comfy_ and this dress isn't one bit of it!" Jemma whined before hearing Hedwig rattling the padlock on her cage again.

' _Jemma, did you get the key? I really want to go out and get some fresh air…and maybe nab a squirrel or two…_ ' Harry's Snowy Owl focused her sharp yellow eyes on the youngest Dursley, relaying her thoughts to her. Jemma, in turn, focused her doe brown eyes on Hedwig and thought back, ' _Sorry, Hedwig. I tried looking for it this morning but my Dad's probably stashed it somewhere…_ '

Harry looked back and forth at the two worriedly. The morning after he came back to 4 Privet Drive from Hogwarts, Harry had been pulled by Jemma upstairs to her room. There, he had witnessed Jemma's extraordinary gift of avian communication. He had watched, transfixed, as Jemma chatted telepathically with her robin friend, Ms. Flitteron, and listened intently whenever Jemma paused her telepathy to tell him what they were both saying. "I only do it when no one's around. I can't risk anyone knowing," Jemma had told him. Harry wasn't really sure what to think. When he'd read that one particular section of Jemma's letter about her talking to birds he had gotten shortly after Halloween, he'd asked most of the professors if talking to birds with your mind could be considered magic. Most of the answers he got were rather hard to understand. The dominant kinds of magical abilities were usually Transfiguration, Divination, Spell Casting, Potion Making, Arithmancy, and all other sorts of magic that had different classifications.

Jemma wasn't magic, due to her Muggle blood, but the fact that she could communicate with birds made Harry wonder if she had just the tiniest bit of magic within her. They'd discussed about it before, one night a week after Harry's return, whether to pursue answers but had decided against it in the end. The last thing Harry wanted to happen to Jemma was be labeled a freak like him.

Once she was done "talking" with Hedwig, Jemma turned to Harry. "She really wants to get out of her cage…" she sighed, shaking her head. Harry looked rather glum as he put away the photo album Hagrid gave him at the end of his first year at Hogwarts. He and Jemma had been looking at it earlier and Jemma was quick to gush over how cute Harry was as a baby.

"And, now, you look like your Dad! But you have your Mum's eyes!" Jemma had giggled earlier.

* * *

Back to the here and now, Jemma and Harry were just hanging out in Harry's bedroom and listening to Hedwig rattling the lock on her cage. "I can't let you out, Hedwig. I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school," Harry told his owl. Hedwig merely rattled the lock on her cage even louder. "Besides, if Uncle Vernon…" Harry managed to say before…

"HARRY POTTER!"

Jemma rolled her eyes while Harry sighed, "Now you've done it." Before leaving his room with Jemma.

Vernon Dursley and Petunia Dursley were both standing in the living room with their oldest child, Dudley, getting ready for the important evening. Jemma knew her father worked in a drill company and this rich couple, the Masons, were coming to make a business deal with him. While that was fine and dandy, she didn't see the point of the whole family dressing up, keeping Harry in his room for the rest of the evening, and acting like a bunch of phony nice people just to impress them.

Vernon glared at his nephew once he came down the stairs with his daughter in tow, and his face was already turning pink. "I'm warning you, if you can't control that bloody bird, it'll have to go," he said sternly. "But she's bored. If I can only let her out for an hour or two…" Harry managed to say before his uncle scoffed, "So you can send secret messages to your freaky little friends? No sir."

"I think Harry's friends are very nice," Jemma said as-a-matter-of-factly. "But I haven't had any messages from my friends. Not one…all summer…" Harry pointed out. That made Jemma worry. Why had Harry's friends not written to him all summer? Surely, they were worried about him?

Dudley frowned as his mother finished fixing him up. "Who would want to be friends with you?" he asked meanly, shoving his way past Harry. "Lots of people, Dud, unlike you," Jemma glared as she gave her big brother a good kick in the shin. "Oww! Mummy!" Dudley howled. "Now, now, Jem dear, let's not get that lovely dress of yours all messed up…" Petunia chided her daughter and, if possible, fixed up Jemma's hair bow to make it all the more ridiculous.

Jemma could only suffer silently and give Harry sympathetic looks as Vernon accosted him. "I should think you'd be a little more grateful. We've raised you since you were a baby ( _More like neglected him_ ), given you the food of our table ( _And by that, you mean scraps_ ), even let you have Dudley's second bedroom ( _The one good thing you let him have_ ) purely out of the goodness of our hearts," Vernon told Harry indignantly. At the last part of her father's sentence, Jemma let out a snort of disgust. When Vernon cast her a sharp look, she pretended to fiddle with her skirt.

Ever since Harry came back from Hogwarts, Jemma had become rebellious. She became fascinated with magic, snuck Harry food whenever she was able, disregarded her parents' orders to stay away from her cousin, and even found a way to pick the lock of Harry's room to let him get out every now and then as well as to let herself in. No amount of scolding or punishment could wrangle her defiant behavior. Jemma was, by nature, an obedient little girl. But, when it came to Harry, she could become fiercely protective of him and was more than ready to disobey her family if it meant that Harry could have someone he could consider a friend during his lonely summer.

Jemma then transferred her focus to her older brother, who was trying to taste the fancy pudding her mother had made. "Not now. It's for when the Masons arrive," Petunia told her son gently as Vernon looked at his watch. "Which should be any minute. Now let's go over our schedule once again, shall we?" he gathered his family around. Jemma tried to escape before Petunia ushered her to the circle. "Petunia, when the Masons arrive, you will be…?" Vernon asked. "In the lounge, waiting to welcome them graciously into our home," Petunia said with a smile. "Good. And, Dudley, you will be…?" Vernon turned to his son. "I'll be waiting to open the door," Dudley grinned. "Excellent. And, Jemma, you will be…?" Vernon turned to his daughter. "Ready to impress them with my eloquence and wit," Jemma answered with a sly smile. "No, you will be there to take their coats, young lady," Vernon reminded her. "Oh, sorry. I forgot about that," Jemma replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

' _How can a six-year-old be so sarcastic?_ ' Harry thought in amazement before his Aunt, Uncle, and older cousin looked at him warily. "And you?" Vernon asked in a dangerous tone. "I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending that I don't exist," Harry replied dutifully. "Too right you will. With any luck, this could be the day I make the biggest deal of my career and you will not mess it up," Vernon said as Harry turned to head upstairs. "And throw that trash away!" Dudley called out after him, referring to his birthday card. "I made him that," Jemma told him. "Exactly!" Dudley laughed before going, "Owww!" as Jemma kicked him – _again_.

* * *

When the Masons had arrived, Jemma took their coats like her father told her to, impressed them with her eloquent reading of some classic poems and witty statements like she had planned to, and she did her part to impress her family's guests very well.

Her family was a different story.

Dudley was stuffing his face during dinner, her mother was too peppy, and her father was…in the kindest words…a hopeless case.

' _I want to be with Harry and Hedwig right now…_ ' Jemma thought, bored out of her mind, as she listened to her father's Japanese Golfer joke. Frankly, she couldn't understand it and was itching to do something else other than listen to it. Then loud thumps could be heard from upstairs and she thought about Harry. Jemma's brain began to go into overdrive. Thoughts of bad wizards, monsters, and that evil Lord Voldemort attacking her cousin made Jemma come up with a clever plan.

"Mum, Dad, I don't feel so well…My tummy's acting all funny and I believe I have a temperature…" Jemma mumbled, trying her best to sound weak, and caught her family's attention. "Oh, Jem dear, do you need help going upstairs?" Petunia said worriedly. "No, no, I can manage…" Jemma said quickly before leaving the living room and going upstairs.

Quickly she went to Harry's room and opened the door, calling out, "Harry, are you all right? Is someone…?" before freezing in her tracks.

Her cousin was currently trying to stop some strange elfish creature from hitting itself repeatedly with a lamp!

The strange elf-like creature caught sight of Jemma and would have screamed if Harry hadn't covered his mouth. Jemma, herself, looked ready to scream but Harry also managed to cover her mouth. "Who and what is that?" she squeaked once she was allowed to speak. "Dobby, House Elf," Harry whispered as he and Jemma worked together to keep Dobby under control.

"Dobby has been seen by a Muggle! Bad Dobby! Bad!" Dobby exclaimed, panicking, until Jemma calmed him down. "You have nothing to fear, Dobby. I won't let my parents see you, I promise," she said gently. That gave Harry enough time to grab Dobby and fling him into the closet. And just in time for his Uncle Vernon entered the minute he and Jemma shut the closet door. "What the devil are you doing up here? You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese Golfer joke!" Vernon said crossly before noticing Jemma in the room. "And as for you, young lady, fibbing to get out of the meeting? I ought to send you to bed with no dinner," he barked. "Dad, we already _had_ dinner," Jemma pointed out before her father took her by the arm. "You are coming downstairs and, with the rest of the family, you will help me ensure that this evening is a success," Vernon said sternly and harshly pulled Jemma out of the room.

Jemma scowled but went with her father nonetheless.

To keep herself from falling asleep, Jemma practiced her three times table in her mind while trying to recall one of the spells she had read from one of Harry's spell books. After what seemed like an eternity to the little girl, Jemma found distraction when she ( _and the rest of her family, unfortunately_ ) spotted her mother's prized pudding floating in the air.

' _Harry's not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts…DOBBY!_ ' Jemma thought frantically as she whirled around, spotting the house elf on the counter, and Harry watching him worriedly. "Dobby…Please…No…" Harry pleaded. Jemma shook her head at the house elf, a look of fear on her face. "Harry Potter must say he's not going to school," Dobby told her cousin. "I can't. Hogwarts is my home," Harry refused. Jemma looked at Dobby, now confused, before seeing the bunch of letters in the house elf's hands.

' _Are those Harry's letters? Why would Dobby have them? And why would he try to stop Harry from going to Hogwarts?_ ' Jemma thought as Dobby said, "Then Dobby must do it, sir. For Harry Potter's own good." And snapped his fingers.

The next thing Jemma knew, the Masons were splattered with pudding and running out of the house and speeding away while her parents chased after them. Shortly after that, her parents had made her and Dudley go to their rooms. The next day, Jemma caught sight of her father filling Harry's window with iron bars. "Dad, no! You can't be serious!" Jemma exclaimed crossly as she made her presence known. "Dead serious, Jemma. That freak, it turns out, is not allowed to use magic outside of his freaky school. That is why he shall not be allowed to go to school at all," her father told her. "It wasn't his fault your stupid meeting with the Masons got out of hand. It was because…" Jemma stopped herself short when she saw Harry's worried face. Vernon's face turned pink as realization that his daughter knew something and stomped over to her. "Ah, so _you_ were an accomplice?!" he spat at her. "Uncle Vernon, no! Jemma had nothing to do with it! It was me!" Harry said frantically. Jemma could do nothing but try to convince her father to go easy on Harry until her father made her go to the park.

' _Why do Mum and Dad have to be so cruel to Harry? He's done nothing wrong…I can try to report this but they'll always find a way to cover it up…Argh! I hate being so little and not able to do anything!_ ' Jemma thought to the neighborhood birds at the park and they could only give her reassuring words and little songs. Sighing, Jemma decided to focus on feeding her little friends and working on her birthday present for Harry. A birthday card was last year's idea. Now she was working on making a little stick figurine of Harry on a broomstick.

Right after Dudley had slipped Harry his meager supper and meanly said, "Today's your birthday and nobody cares!" Jemma went upstairs and reached her hand out to Harry from under the metal flap on his door to give him his birthday present. ' _You're wrong, Dud. Someone cares…_ ' she thought.

* * *

"Next year, you'll be thirteen! _Thirteen!_ I bet being a teenager's going to be a lot better for you, Harry! My parents will no doubt loosen the reins on you," Jemma chatted to her cousin as she lay on the floor so Harry could see her. Harry chuckled as he set the little stick figurine on his desk and lay on his stomach to see Jemma. "I wish I could say the same, Jem…" he sighed. "I just don't get it. Why did Dobby have all of those letters from your friends with him? And why was he trying to stop you from going back to Hogwarts for second year?" his sweet cousin asked. "I don't know, Jem. All he said that terrible things were about to happen and that I should stay here. But I can't, Jem. I don't belong here," Harry told her. "I wish I could do something…Anything to make them stop being so horrid to you…" Jemma said sadly. Harry smiled gently at her and held his hand out to Jemma. "It's okay, Jem. I can handle it. As long as you're here…life isn't so bad. Cousins together; friends forever, remember?" he said softly. "Cousins together; friends forever," Jemma giggled as they pinky promised.

Jemma went to bed an hour later…only to wake up to the sound of something being ripped off from a wall. Going outside her room, she saw her mother and Dudley panicking as her father undid the locks on Harry's door. Once the door was locked, Jemma dashed inside to see Harry struggling to put his trunk and Hedwig's cage inside a car parked outside his window.

Wait a second, _a car parked outside his window?!_

"Whoa…" Jemma breathed out. "Petunia, he's escaping!" Vernon yelled and grabbed onto Harry's ankle to try and stop him from leaving. Without wasting a second, Jemma lunged forward and bit her father's hand as hard as she could! Vernon let out a scream before the car accelerated, driving further away from the window, the pull eventually pitching him over the window!

With her father down on the lawn, Jemma went to the windowsill and laughed as Harry looked back at her. "Say hello to Hagrid and your friends for me, Harry!" Jemma called back, waving at her cousin until the car flew out of sight.

' _A flying car. Wait till Ms. Flitteron hears about this!_ ' Jemma thought while her mother and older brother fretted over her father.

* * *

Vernon Dursley, needless to say, was furious.

Not only did his freakish nephew ruin his chance of making a life changing business deal and manage to escape to his equally freakish school but his own daughter had helped! As punishment, Vernon did the unthinkable and locked Jemma in Harry's old cupboard! "Vernon, not our dear little girl!" Petunia begged. "If she's going to be gallivanting around, believing in all this nonsense, then she might as well get a taste of what happens to freaks like the boy!" Vernon said gruffly and left to have Jemma suffer the consequences of her actions.

' _They can throw me in here, neglect me all they want, but they're not changing my mind. Not a bit…_ ' Jemma thought as she lay on the thin cot in her cousin's old cupboard. It was quite nice, actually. Not too noisy as long as Dudley wasn't around and she could take a nap. After about an hour or two, Vernon let her out. Jemma merely stretched out and went upstairs to her room to read.

She and Harry wrote to each other often and, by reading her cousin's letters to her, Jemma could imagine herself sharing in his adventures. She could picture herself as one of the spectators in the grandstands, cheering, as Harry played Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, worrying when he breaks his arm thanks to a rogue Bludger. She could imagine being in Gilderoy Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class and helping Harry, Ron, and Hermione round up Cornish Pixies, and seeing Harry duel with Malfoy. And, most of all, she could imagine helping Harry solve the mystery of the attacks on students and the Chamber of Secrets.

The Chamber of Secrets, Moaning Myrtle, the Basilisk, Parseltongue, Tom Marvolo Riddle, Ginny Weasley…

On her birthday, which was on the last day of November, Jemma knew just what to wish for as she blew the candles out on her cake.

 _I wish I can go to Hogwarts next year…even for just a little while…_

* * *

 **Next chapter, Jemma's birthday wish gets granted ;)**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the promised chapter where Jemma gets to experience the world of magic! Enjoy!**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: A Christmas Break to Remember**

Jemma Dursley, now eight-years-old, was having a hard time keeping a straight face as Professor McGonagall ushered her into the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Would you like some hot chocolate, my dear?" the Head of Gryffindor asked her gently as Jemma took a seat on one of the numerous benches, her suitcase of clothes beside her. "Yes, please, Professor McGonagall," Jemma nodded politely. "Call me Minerva, dear," the Transfiguration professor smiled as she conjured up a mug of delicious hot cocoa. "Thank you, Professor Minerva," Jemma smiled.

' _Such a sweet, well-mannered child…I find it hard to believe she's the daughter of Lily Evans' terrible sister…_ ' McGonagall thought as she left the girl to her hot chocolate while she went to find Mr. Potter.

Sipping her cocoa, Jemma looked around. Hogwarts was just like her cousin Harry had told her. Wherever she looked there was magic, from the twelve Christmas trees being decorated by invisible hands to the professors having fun with their magic crackers. She giggled when she saw Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster, hand Professor Snape a particularly large one and the Head of Slytherin house pulled on it to get a gigantic witch's hat with an enormous stuffed vulture. That was something she didn't see every day.

' _That strike sure did the trick. And, now, I'm finally here at Hogwarts! I can't wait to see the look on Harry's face…Oh, hold on a minute! I'm cross with him because he just left without saying goodbye after that fiasco with Aunt Marge…Hmmm, I'll put up a front. I won't speak to him until he apologizes…Still…I can't wait to see Harry again!_ ' Jemma thought as she remembered the events that led her to being personally escorted by this man from the Ministry of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, to Hogwarts during Christmas break.

* * *

 **A few months earlier…**

Jemma winced as her Aunt Marge pinched her cheeks. "Oh, sweet little Jemmy wemmy! You look just like your mother, now, do you?" her fat as a walrus Aunt cooed while her equally fat and pudgy bulldog, Ripper, nipped at her ankles. "It's good to see you again, Aunt Marge…" Jemma managed to say in a polite tone as her parents welcomed her Aunt into her home. Her cousin Harry was trying to convince her father, Vernon Dursley, to sign a form for school but he was having none of it.

"I'd forge his signature for you, Harry, but I don't know how…" Jemma whispered as she helped him clear the dishes. Harry smiled and ruffled Jemma's jet-black hair. His younger cousin, blessed little angel, was always trying her best to cheer him up.

"Oi, Jemma, best you keep away from that boy. He's a bad influence, he is!" Aunt Marge told her. Jemma was then taken to the dinner table and forced to sit down…and listen to her Aunt Marge insult Harry and his parents. Then Harry lost his temper and, the next thing she knew, Aunt Marge had blown up to the size of a giant balloon and was floating up, up, up into the sky!

Jemma had taken cover under the table and crawled out of her hiding place while Dudley, who had been knocked off his chair earlier, was licking his frosting-covered fingers. "How can you eat at a time like this, you Dud?" Jemma asked in exasperation before seeing Harry going downstairs with his trunk.

"YOU BRING HER BACK! YOU BRING HER BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!" Vernon roared. "No! She deserved what she got!" Harry yelled back, his wand in his hand. "And you…you keep away from me," he warned his uncle, pointing his wand at him. Jemma watched, too stunned to move, as her father grinned cruelly. "You're not allowed to do magic out of school. They won't have you now. You've got nowhere to go," he told Harry, who briefly faltered in his resolve.

Jemma was about to rush to Harry's side and defend him when her cousin said, "I don't care. Anywhere's better than here." And went out the door. That's when Jemma tried to run after Harry only to be held back by her father. "Harry! Harry! Wait!" Jemma shrieked, desperately twisting about to get out of her father's iron grip, succeeding after some initial struggle and bolting out the door. "Harry, I want to come with you! Wait for me! Harry!" Jemma ran as fast as she could, managing to spot her cousin round a corner before she was suddenly grabbed by her near hysterical mother and carried back to the house.

"It's Aunt Marge's fault! She shouldn't have insulted Aunt Lily and Uncle James like that!" Jemma protested. Her parents would not heed her words and kept on insisting that the boy was the one at fault. "I want to go see Harry!" Jemma demanded. "You'll do bloody well to never speak that boy's name in this house! And how are you going to see him when he's off at that magical wizard world of his?" her father challenged her. "I can send a letter to Hogwarts asking for permission to see him! Christmas break! I know you never let Harry come home for the holidays so I want to see him during that time!" Jemma said crossly. Vernon and Petunia did not heed Jemma's request so she took matters into her own hands.

Simply put, she went on strike.

With a stash of food and water in her room, Jemma went into solitary confinement. The only times she went out was to use the loo and that didn't take long. At first her father thought nothing of it, calling it a phase she would grow out of. Then, after a week, Petunia began to worry – especially when some of Jemma's schoolmates and, soon, the principal of Jemma's school, visited and asked how her daughter was doing. While Jemma felt bad for neglecting her studies, she felt worse as she thought about Harry.

He didn't even say goodbye to her…

Finally, after another week, her parents caved in. They had written a letter to Hogwarts, imploring that Jemma be allowed to visit Harry over the Christmas holiday and gave it to Hedwig when she dropped by on her weekly route to deliver Jemma Harry's letters. While she had received letters containing apologies from Harry for leaving and still felt rather hurt, Jemma was courteous enough to write him back short letters. Finally, a man identifying himself to be from the Ministry of Magic came by shortly after the start of her Christmas break.

"Cornelius Fudge at your service! I'm here to escort Ms. Jemma Dursley to Hogwarts. I can imagine Mr. Harry Potter will be pleasantly surprised to see one of his relatives this Christmas," the Head of the Ministry of Magic greeted the Dursleys with a smile. Jemma was already dressed in her winter clothes and had her little suitcase with her. Petunia was nearly in tears as she kissed her daughter, telling her to be safe. Vernon was eyeing Fudge warily the whole time while Dudley had merely waved goodbye to his little sister before heading off to his room in order to play video games.

' _Freedom…_ ' Jemma thought as she left 4 Privet Drive with Fudge. ' _Freedom! Free! Jemma is free!_ ' the birds all seemed to chorus as they flew across the sky. "All right, Ms. Dursley. Hold on tight. We'll _Apparate_ straight to Hogwarts where Professor McGonagall will meet you," Fudge said and, holding Jemma's hand, waved his wand and they apparated! Needless to say, Jemma was breathless and giddy with excitement at the feeling of being magically transported to Hogwarts. And her eyes had widened to the size of plates when she saw the castle. It was magnificent! Then Professor McGonagall came to receive her. ' _This is going to be the best Christmas break ever!_ ' Jemma thought as she followed Professor McGonagall to the Great Hall.

* * *

 **Present Time…**

Jemma had just finished her mug of hot chocolate when Professor McGonagall arrived with three other people. One boy was definitely Ron Weasley because Jemma recognized the flaming red hair that Harry had told her that everyone in the Weasley family has. The other was a girl with bushy brown hair. No doubt that was the smart Hermione Granger. And the other boy, in the middle of the trio, was her cousin.

A new plan hatched in Jemma's mind and she marched straight up to Harry.

"Harry Potter, you had some nerve just leaving the house all those months ago just like that! It's a good thing you were pardoned by the authorities here after that little incident with Aunt Marge and you should consider yourself lucky that I managed to convince my Mum and Dad to let you come home after the school term. You had me worried sick! I didn't know where you'd gone and how you got here and I didn't know what to think! If you try another stunt like that again, don't expect to hear anything more from me!"

As soon as she finished telling her cousin off, Jemma folded her arms across her chest and turned around so her back was facing Harry. Ron and Hermione glanced at each other in bewilderment before looking at Harry, whose face had gone rather red the past few minutes. Harry thanked his lucky stars that Malfoy and his cronies hadn't been around to witness what had just happened and only three students ( _two nervous first years and one sullen Slytherin fifth year_ ) were around. Of course, it didn't help him that most of the teachers ( _Dumbledore and Snape, included_ ) were now watching him and Jemma with the slightest bit of amusement.

Well, can you blame them? A little Muggle girl scolding the Boy Who Lived as if she were his mother was something they've never seen before!

Still blushing in embarrassment, Harry took Jemma to the Gryffindor common room so she could get settled. There, he began to try and make amends.

* * *

"Look, Jemma, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have just left but what was I supposed to do? Your Dad, for sure, wasn't going to let me stay one more minute in his house unless I brought Aunt Marge back. And you and I both agree that she deserved to be blown up since she was so horrid. I had to leave, Jem. I couldn't stand one more minute in that place but, when I left, I felt awful for just leaving you without saying goodbye. You know that, right? Come on, Jem, just talk to me…"

Harry had lost count of how many more apologies he had said to his cousin in the past 30 minutes only to receive the silent treatment. Ron and Hermione were both standing a little off to the sides while the two cousins stood in the middle. All the while, Jemma had a blank look on her face while Harry apologized profusely.

"I have to hand it to her, mate, I see a bit of your stubbornness has passed onto the younger generation," Ron remarked, earning a slight glare from his emerald-eyed friend. "You can't blame her, Harry. She's only eight after all," Hermione said teasingly, making Harry roll his eyes at her. Jemma merely smirked as Harry looked at her guiltily. "I'm really, _really_ sorry, Jem. But, just so you know…I'm really happy to see you," her cousin said softly.

Sighing, Jemma ceased to be silent.

"It's just that…you left without saying goodbye. And I really was worried about you, Harry…" the little girl said quietly. "I know and it was wrong…I'm sorry," Harry apologised again. "I know that you are. And, honestly, I would have done the same thing. In fact, I'm not really that angry at you," Jemma smiled. Harry blinked at her in confusion. "Then…why'd you act all upset back in the Great Hall and give me the silent treatment for half an hour?" he asked. "Two reasons. One: you kind of deserved it. Two: I wanted to see the looks on everyone's faces as I scolded you like I was your mother and you were a little kid. It was funny seeing all the professors staring at you. Simply put, I love messing with you!" Jemma grinned before laughing. At this point, Ron and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at the sheer ingeniousness of Jemma's plan and Harry's public humiliation as well. Harry wasn't the only one laughing and gave Jemma an annoyed look. But, in the end, he was laughing at himself too and he had to admit that he deserved what he got and that Jemma was completely brilliant.

After the laughter had ceased, Jemma got acquainted with Ron and Hermione. "Harry's told me loads about you two and all the adventures you three have had! My favourite's got to be the one where you all went through that magic gauntlet to find the Sorcerer's Stone and had to play real life Wizard's Chess in first year! Oh, but the Chamber of Secrets in second year was pretty cool, too, in how you got Lockhart to _Obliviate_ himself thanks to a broken wand!" Jemma exclaimed excitedly, gesturing wildly to prove her point, and continued to chatter about how she had learned some important history facts about Hogwarts, memorized most of the spells in Harry's old ' _Standard Book of Spells_ ' from first year, and how she knew all the positions in a Quidditch team.

Harry's friends were surprised at how much Jemma knew about magic and were astounded when she demonstrated her ability to communicate with birds thanks to Hedwig. "How does she do that?" Ron whispered to Harry as Jemma translated Hedwig's hoots to a fascinated Hermione. Harry shrugged as he worked on folding a paper bird out of wrapping paper. Enchanting it with his wand, Harry got the paper bird to fly around the common room so Jemma could chase it around. Jemma's brown eyes were alight with joy as she chased the paper bird around and around, laughing with glee.

Ron and Hermione thought Jemma was the sweetest little girl and for a while watched as she bonded with Harry in the Gryffindor Common Room. The two cousins were engaged in a game of Wizard's Chess, with Harry teaching Jemma how to play by commanding the pieces to move, the match lasting all but ten minutes before Jemma checkmated Harry's king. "I think Ron's got competition," Harry smiled at his younger cousin. Then the four of them got out Harry's Invisibility Cloak and went to terrorize Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle as they arrived back at Hogwarts. Earlier, Harry had terrified the three Slytherins near the Shrieking Shack. Now, Jemma was the one doing the scaring by pelting them with snowballs as they entered the grounds. "Watch this," Jemma giggled as the Golden Trio hid behind the school fountain and, safely shrouded by Harry's cloak, ran up to Malfoy while he was caught unawares and pulled his trousers down!

It took all of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's combined willpower to not laugh as Malfoy struggled to put his trousers back up before Jemma gave him a good, swift kick in the rear! Running back to the safety of the hallways while Malfoy and his gang ran for cover, the four of them burst out laughing. "Brilliant…Bloody brilliant…Harry, you didn't tell me your Aunt's family had a hidden troublemaker," Ron wheezed out between laughs. "That slippery Slytherin had it coming!" Jemma giggled and shrieked with delight as Harry picked her up and tossed her up, catching her safely in his arms.

After that, Jemma showed that she was as fast as a broomstick going at its top speed by challenging Harry to a race up and down one of the corridors near the Great Hall. "I'm going to join track and field when I make it to secondary school!" Jemma said breathlessly as she sprinted on ahead and beat Harry to their finish line, which was the bottom of one of the staircase. "They'll be eating your dust before they know it," Harry grinned, having the best time of his life with his little cousin.

Hermione was also able to spend time with Jemma as the two of them pored over books in the library while the boys merely dozed in their chairs, bored out of their minds. "Some people clearly have no appreciation for books," Jemma remarked, seeing Harry asleep after reading through his Potions homework. "Don't we know it?" Hermione shared a secret smile with her before they both left the two in the library, laughing when Filch caught them and chased them out.

Going back to the Gryffindor common room, Ron and Hermione both sat on the couch and watched as Harry got Jemma ready for her nap. They had to admit that they'd never seen such a warm, affectionate side of Harry before. While they both knew their friend to be someone with a good heart and loyal to a fault, they've never seen Harry like this before. It was as if Jemma was his little sister and he loved her with all his heart. And the way Jemma looked up to Harry was the way little siblings idolized their older brothers and sisters. She adored him.

Right now, Harry was reading to Jemma, the little girl curled up in his lap. "…and they all lived happily ever after. The end," Harry said softly as Jemma closed her eyes and fell asleep in his arms.

Carefully, Harry carried her up to the girls' dormitory where Hermione let him tuck Jemma in her bed. For a while, the Golden Trio watched the youngest Dursley sleep.

"We should probably let her sleep…" Hermione said softly and led Harry and Ron out of the room. But not before Harry gave Jemma a quick kiss on the forehead.

* * *

The Golden Trio had gone off to the library to study some of their lessons when Jemma woke up two hours later. Seeing that her cousin and his two friends weren't around, Jemma thought it'd be a good idea to leave Gryffindor tower and explore the castle on her own. For a while, she just walked along the halls and chatted with the paintings and occasional ghost…until she bumped into Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"Ah, what do we have here? 'Ickle little girl lost her way home?" the gray-eyed Slytherin drawled. Jemma paled, knowing that Malfoy was trouble, and tried to leave but Crabbe and Goyle stopped her. "What's the hurry, midget? Need to go home crying to your Mummy?" Malfoy laughed as his two imbeciles picked up Jemma by the back of her shirt. "Leave me alone, you snake! And, by the way, the prints on your underpants look ridiculous!" Jemma said before squeaking and covering her mouth with her hands.

Too late. Malfoy had caught on.

Furious that a little brat had been the one tormenting him and his friends, Malfoy got out his wand and pointed it at Jemma's face. "I think a little hexing on that smug little face of yours ought to teach you not to mess with a powerful wizard," he glared daggers at Jemma.

But to Malfoy's bad luck, two Gryffindors had spotted him.

"Mr. Malfoy! If you even think of…" Professor McGonagall had a thunderous expression on her face as she made her way to the three Slytherins before spotting Harry going straight over to Malfoy and his gang. "Draco, let her go _now_ ," Harry warned his Slytherin rival in a dangerous tone. Malfoy merely smirked as he harmlessly tapped his wand on Jemma's nose. Jemma breathed out a sigh of relief upon seeing that no unusual effects had happened. "Easy there, Potter, we're just having a little fun with her. And why is she so important to you?" Malfoy asked coolly. Harry looked like he was ready to hex Malfoy into oblivion before McGonagall stepped in. "That young child you and your friends are currently with, Mr. Malfoy, happens to be Mr. Potter's younger cousin. And I can assure that for your inappropriate behavior towards an honored guest to Hogwarts results in fifty points being taken from Slytherin. Now, off you go," the Head of Gryffindor House said primly as she magically made Crabbe and Goyle let go of Jemma.

Jemma went to Harry's side and warily looked at Malfoy as he and his gang retreated. "Jemma, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Harry asked worriedly as he frantically looked over his cousin for any evidence of physical harm. Jemma shook her head and looked up at Professor McGonagall. "Thank you, Professor Minerva," she said gratefully. McGonagall nodded and gently patted Jemma's head. "There are some students here who don't take well to Muggles, Ms. Dursley. My advice for you is that, while you are staying here, you best be careful with whom you associate with," she advised the little girl. Nodding, Jemma left with Harry and McGonagall didn't fail to notice Harry's hand tightly gripping hers.

' _He never ceases to amaze me, that Potter…_ ' McGonagall thought, admiring the boy's protective instincts.

* * *

Jemma stayed at Hogwarts for the rest of Harry's Christmas break and she had the time of her life. She got to meet all of Harry's friends, who were all charmed by her kind and adorable nature, got to go to Hogsmeade ( _courtesy of Harry, his Invisibility Cloak, and the Marauders' Map_ ), sample several of Honeyduke's best sweets, and got to meet Buckbeak at Hagrid's hut.

That visit, however, resulted in Jemma bursting into tears when she learned about Buckbeak's coming execution.

"He-he t-told me that h-h-he w-w-wasn't af-fraid of d-death…Oh, Harry, w-why d-do they have to kill him? B-Buckbeak is so gentle…" the little girl hiccupped as they left Hagrid's hut. Harry could only comfort her, wondering himself why such a magnificent creature like Buckbeak should be executed.

Christmas break came and went. Before Jemma knew it, the time had come for her to go home. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid were there to see her off at the train platform. "Buckbeak was kind enough to spare one of these for you, Jem. Shame you didn't get a chance to ride him. Your cousin Harry here got to when I had my first lesson with them third years," the half-giant smiled, handing Jemma a hippogriff feather. "Thanks, Hagrid. Give Buckbeak my thanks and love," Jemma smiled as she admired the beautiful silver and gray feather. Ron smiled sheepishly as he gave her a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. "Remember: It's a risk in every mouthful," he reminded her. "I'll keep that in mind, Ron," Jemma nodded. Hermione gave Jemma a hug and handed her a copy of _Hogwarts: A History_. "For some light reading…or if you ever want to brush up on your magic," she smiled at the bright-eyed girl. "Thank you, Hermione," Jemma said gratefully.

Harry was the last to give Jemma a gift.

"Close your eyes and hold out your hands," he told his little cousin. Jemma obediently did as she was told and felt something soft being placed in her hands. Opening her eyes, Jemma gasped at the red sweater with the Gryffindor lion knitted on it. "I asked Ron's mum to make one for you. I just hope it's the right size…" Harry admitted. Jemma quickly put the sweater on over her other clothes. "It fits perfect," she grinned from ear to ear. "Now you're a Gryffindor, too," Harry smiled and knelt down to see eye-to-eye with Jemma. "Just for the record, you coming here, Jem…it's been the best Christmas I've ever had," he smiled gently at her. "This has been the best Christmas for me, too, Harry," Jemma smiled as she brushed her hand against the scar on Harry's forehead. The train's whistle blew and Jemma knew it was time for her to go.

" _Cousins together; friends forever_ ," she and Harry pinky swore before giving each other one final hug. "I love you, Harry…" Jemma whispered. "I love you, too, Jem. Don't ever forget that," Harry whispered. "I won't. I'll see you in a few months," Jemma promised before boarding the train.

"Safe travels, Jem!" "See you again soon!" "Take care of yourself, lass!"

Harry smiled, waving to his little cousin, and knew that he had had the best Christmas ever. As for Jemma, who kept waving to Harry until she could no longer see him, knew that not a single Christmas would ever match up to the one she had spent at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

 **Like it? Love it? Hate it? Give me whatever reviews you guys can throw at me.**

 **Unfortunately, I have to go on hiatus again for three weeks since first semester in college is almost over and I have to focus on finishing all of my requirements and getting through exams. Someone pray that I may have a fraction of Hermione's intelligence when I answer my finals, especially in Math!**

 **In the meantime, stay awesome!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys, well…first semester is over for me! Now, I have time to write to my heart's content until January 18! Now, this takes place AFTER Goblet of Fire. It's my take on what could have happened when Harry returns to the Dursleys after the events of the fourth film.**

 **Some parts might break your heart into pieces so keep tissues in handy! And I recommend you listen to Taylor Swift's "Safe and Sound" while reading this.**

 **NOTE: I do NOT own Harry Potter. All rights go to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.**

* * *

 **Not Your Fault**

Nine-year-old Jemma Dursley anxiously hopped about, ignoring her brother, Dudley, as he tried to get her to stay still. Her parents, Vernon and Petunia Dursley, looked annoyed as she looked this way and that. But Jemma didn't mind the looks her family was giving her. She was far too excited to see her cousin, Harry Potter, come back from his fourth year at Hogwarts. Earlier in the summer, he left to go watch the Quidditch World Cup in Scotland with his friends and he had written her letters about it. Jemma wanted to come and would have succeeded in stowing away inside Harry's trunk if Dudley hadn't squealed on her. Harry promised to write to her about it as soon as he could and bring back a souvenir, though, so Jemma was happy.

Now, her cousin was coming back and she couldn't wait to see him!

A short while later, Harry arrived. As usual, Jemma sprinted over to him with a big smile on her face. "Harry!" she squealed, nearly knocking her cousin down as she embraced him. Harry managed a smile and gave his younger cousin a one-armed hug. Jemma looked up and saw that Harry had a few scratches on his face. Then, her gaze travelled to his bandaged arm and she gave him a worried look. "It's nothing, Jem. I'm fine," Harry said before plopping a rather large red-and-black striped hat on her head. "Souvenir from the World Cup?" Jemma giggled, the hat far too large for her and covering her brown eyes. "Bulgarian Quidditch team. Loads of other countries played," Harry chuckled. "If your Quidditch team played, that would have been epic," Jemma pulled the hat up to look at her cousin. "Epic as in we'd lose within ten seconds. Trust me, Jem, there are loads of better Seekers out there," Harry smiled. "Perhaps, but I'm sure you and the Gryffindors would put up one heck of a fight," Jemma grinned as they left King's Cross Station with Jemma's parents and older brother.

* * *

The night was mostly uneventful. Like always, Jemma's parents and Dudley ignored Harry. What was a bit unusual was that Harry went to bed earlier than everyone else. Jemma wanted him to stay up a bit later so he could tell her more about the World Cup and whatever happened in Hogwarts but Harry merely told her that he was tired and needed to rest.

"Best to leave the boy alone, Jem dear. And the less you hear from him, the better," Vernon told his daughter, who frowned. "Honestly, Jemma, I don't see why you're so curious about that freak. He's freaky and you're normal…well, normal in some ways," Dudley snickered, earning a glare from his little sister. "I don't think Harry's a freak. And I'm curious about magic because it's, well… _magic_ ," Jemma retorted. "But, Jem, magic can only give you nothing but grief. The boy's parents suffered a most terrible fate because of it," Petunia chided her. Jemma focused her disbelieving eyes on her mother, appalled by how casual she sounded. "Harry's mum was your sister…" she said quietly. At the mention of Lily, Petunia averted her eyes and merely said, "And a well-good freak like her offspring."

Getting out of her chair, Jemma looked at her family with tears in her eyes. "Why can't you all just accept Harry for his magic? _Why can't you just love him like all families do?_ " she asked loudly. Before anyone else could reply, Jemma went upstairs to her room. There, she thought about her family and why they just couldn't seem to love Harry the way she loved him. She thought about herself as well, why she was so eager to be part of Harry's world when she wasn't like him. Jemma was a Muggle, a non-magic person, yet she believed in magic. She knew it existed through Harry and his friends. Why, when she was eight-years-old, she was able to see Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and had the most wonderful Christmas break there with Harry and all of his friends! And she had the gift of avian communication. Surely, that meant she had some magic in her. Most of all, Harry was her cousin and part of her family. All her life, he was there. Maybe not always involved but Harry was there when she needed him. Truth be told, Jemma sometimes secretly wished that _Harry_ could be her older brother and not her dimwitted dud of a brother, Dudley.

Why couldn't her family love Harry? Why did they refuse to deny the existence of magic when it was right there in front of their faces?

Why did she, an ordinary Muggle, have such a deep fascination of the world of magic?

Why was she able to do something Muggles couldn't do?

Jemma thought about all of these things until she was too tired to think and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Harry was restlessly tossing and turning about in his bed. His face scrunched up in pain as he was subjected to the torture of a nightmare…

* * *

 _He was screaming in pain as Voldemort touched his scar. Cedric, dead, lay on the ground a few feet away from him. Pettigrew and the Death Eaters were merely watching as the Dark Lord tortured him._

 _Then, all of a sudden, the voice of a child was heard._

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

 _Voldemort turned around, releasing Harry from his hold, and saw a little girl run past the Death Eaters before attempting to pull him away from Harry. Opening his eyes, Harry felt his breath catch in his throat once he saw Jemma flailing her little fists at Voldemort._

"You leave Harry alone!" _Jemma screamed as she pummeled her fists at Voldemort like a demon possessed. Voldemort laughed, a sound so cold it chilled Harry to the bone, before pushing Jemma away…and pointed his wand at her heart. Harry found his voice again at that moment and he screamed,_ "Not her, please! Leave her out of this and take me instead! Jemma, run! RUN, JEM, RUN!"

 _But Jemma could only look at Harry, afraid and bewildered, before Voldemort said those two words that destroyed the little ray of sunshine Harry always had had back at 4 Privet Drive._

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

 _Jemma's small body hit the ground with a small 'thud!' and Harry felt himself fall to the ground himself. He was forced to duel with Voldemort and forced to see Jemma's still body. He felt his heart be ripped to shreds until his anguish was replaced with rage. Red filled Harry's vision as he fought back with everything he got. When his wand and Voldemort's connected, the Killing Curse and Disarming Charm colliding in green and red sparks, he saw the souls of Cedric, the old man he had seen in his previous dreams, his parents…and Jemma._

"Harry, it'll be okay! Don't give in! You can beat him!" _Jemma's ghost cheered him on, making Harry's heart hurt all the more, before joining the other souls in holding Voldemort off. That gave Harry enough time to get to the Triwizard Cup and the two bodies. When he succeeded in teleporting back to the school grounds, Harry felt tears blur his vision as he saw Cedric's father crumple to the ground beside Cedric's body. Cho was crying hysterically while everyone else just stood there, numb in shock or silently mourning as well. Harry paid no attention to anyone for, right next to Cedric, was his younger cousin's body._

"Jem…" _he choked out, pulling Jemma's body close to him. If he hadn't known any better, it looked like she was just sleeping. But Harry knew that Jemma was gone, the proof being her lying in his arms as cold as ice. The tears came faster as Harry cradled Jemma in his arms like she were a newborn, her face blank and void of any emotion. He would never see her doe brown eyes open again, never see her smile, laugh, and grow. Sweet little Jemma: his only happiness back in the Muggle world, the one person who didn't see him as a freak but as family, the little girl he sometimes wished could be his little sister…was dead, taken before she ever had the chance to truly live, and it was all his fault._

"I'm so sorry, Jemma…I'm so, so, so sorry…" _Harry sobbed out, his tears dropping onto Jemma's pale face, and he gently pressed his lips to her temple. Hugging Jemma's body close, Harry let out an anguished scream. And everything and everyone around him vanished…leaving him alone to grieve his loss._

* * *

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"

Jemma woke up to the sound of her father's angry shouting. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she got out of bed and carefully opened her bedroom door a crack. Her father was just leaving Harry's room, which was directly across from hers, and she could see Harry in the darkness.

He was crying.

Jemma immediately began to worry. Harry hardly cried. Once her father had left, Jemma left her room and went over to Harry's door. The door had been locked but, luckily, Jemma had learned ( _and was now a master_ _of_ ) the art of lock picking. With a hairpin, Jemma opened the door. Harry was curled up in a ball in his bed, whimpering, and didn't see Jemma come in until the young girl gently patted him on the back.

"Harry?"

The 14-year-old wizard tensed when he heard the voice he thought he'd never hear again before turning on his side to face his worried younger cousin. "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare? Did my Dad hurt you?" Jemma asked softly but quickly, looking over her cousin until she saw the angry red mark on Harry's left cheek. She was just about to lose her composure and go storming off to tell her father off for hurting Harry when she heard Harry whisper, "You're alive…I thought…I thought he…" before lapsing into silence. Jemma then took a good look at Harry's face and, upon seeing the distraught expression, assumed her other two questions to have the answers no and yes, in precisely that order.

Without waiting for Harry to protest, Jemma clambered onto the bed and sat cross-legged as her cousin did the same so they were facing each other. "What happened this year? Something bad?" Jemma asked Harry. "Jem, it's best that you don't know…" Harry quietly replied, still reeling from his nightmare and his Uncle Vernon's slap. "But I _do_ want to know, Harry. I _need_ to know. How can I help you when I don't even know what's wrong?" Jemma pleaded.

After about a minute, Harry told her everything.

The Triwizard Tournament, his name being put into the Goblet of Fire by Barty Crouch Jr. ( _who had masqueraded as Professor Alastor Moody thanks to a Polyjuice Potion_ ), being ostracized by almost everyone in the entire school for what seemed like ages, Cho Chang ( _Jemma nearly giggled at the mere thought of Harry failing to ask a girl out to the Yule Ball but, upon remembering Harry's current emotional state, reminded herself to keep her mouth shut_ ), the three tasks, and the most painful part of the story, which was Cedric Diggory's death and the return of Lord Voldemort.

Harry had managed to stifle his tears until he got to that last part. "It's my fault he's dead. It's my fault Voldemort's back. Everything bad…it's my fault…" he said in a broken voice, the tears welling up in his bright green eyes. Jemma looked at Harry sympathetically and crawled over to him, giving him a hug. "You didn't know. You didn't want this to happen. It wasn't your fault, Harry. None of it was your fault. It's all Voldemort's fault. He used one of his servants to enter you into that tournament. That… Nasty Dark Wizard with a Name so Stupid was behind all of it," she said soothingly before gently taking Harry's face into her hands and made him look her in the eye.

"Harry, I want you to listen to me and take these next few words I'm going to say to heart: _None of those bad things was your fault_. There, I said it. Now, you repeat it but replace the _your_ with _my_. I'm not leaving this room until you do," Jemma said seriously. "None of those bad things was my fault…" Harry repeated gloomily. "No, no, don't sound like that. Say it again with more self-assurance," Jemma told him. "None of those bad things was my fault," Harry said the words again but he sounded even less sure of himself. "That sounded even worse. Say them again," Jemma instructed.

"Jem, how can I say those words when I _know_ that it's all my fault?! You don't know what I've been through! It's bad enough I had to watch the very same wizard who killed my parents have one of his servants kill one of my friends but I had to be trapped there, unable to do anything, and watch him come back! Peter Pettigrew, the one who betrayed my parents to Lord Voldemort in the first place and who killed Cedric, used _my blood_ to bring him back! My blood, Jemma, my blood! How can you say none of those bad things were because of me when _I_ was part of the ritual that brought Voldemort back?!"

Those words burst out of Harry without thinking as he pushed Jemma away from him. The youngest Dursley harmlessly flopped onto Harry's blankets and sat up, her brown eyes wide with shock and her mouth agape. Harry, coming to his senses, realized what he'd done and worriedly looked at his younger cousin. "Jemma, I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" he trailed off upon seeing that Jemma wasn't even looking at him anymore but at her lap.

Seeing his sweet younger cousin broken by his harsh words and remembering his terrifying nightmare, Harry couldn't fight back another wave of tears. "The nightmare…you were there…" he choked out, making Jemma look up at him. "Me?" Jemma asked, confused. "Cedric was already dead at that graveyard. Voldemort, he…he was using the _Cruciatus_ curse on me. He was torturing me, Jem. Then, out of nowhere, you came running…I don't know how you got there but…I knew that Voldemort would hurt you. You punched and punched him with everything you had…he pushed you away…I begged him to spare you and kill me instead. And Voldemort, he…he just laughed and…and…" Harry managed to say before crying again. Jemma slowly put two and two together before realizing what was really bothering Harry, apart from his guilt. Not wanting to waste another second, Jemma embraced Harry tightly. Harry hugged her back fiercely as he was afraid she'd suddenly disappear, his tears slipping down his face and falling onto Jemma's soft black hair.

"I can't lose you, Jem…I can't…" Harry whispered. "And you won't, Harry. I promise you. That Lord Voldemort…that Nasty Dark Wizard with a Name so Stupid…he won't get me, Harry, but hebetter hope that _I_ don't get _him_ first," Jemma told him soothingly. The two cousins stayed there, hugging, until Harry managed to say something that got them both laughing.

"Nasty Dark Wizard with a Name so Stupid? That's the best you can come up with?"

"Well, you have to admit, his name _does_ sound stupid!" Jemma giggled before yawning, suddenly feeling exhausted. "G'night, Harry…" Managing to brush her hand against Harry's scar as she said this, Jemma curled up in her cousin's lap and fell asleep.

Harry just stayed there, cradling Jemma in his arms as she slept. Her quiet breathing reminded him that she was there, alive and well. And, for now, that was enough for Harry as he carried her to her room. It was a miracle Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia hadn't come running when he'd been pretty sure that he and Jemma had made quite a racket. But, luckily, the coast was clear and Harry got Jemma into bed. Tucking her in, Harry couldn't help but wonder how such a young girl could stay so strong. Just a while ago, he had broken down and wouldn't stop crying but Jemma hadn't shed a tear. Rather, she did her level best to make him feel better. It was clear to him that, while Jemma wasn't magic like him and couldn't wield a wand, his younger cousin possessed something more: a heart so strong and so very full of love.

' _Voldemort's back…and he's not going to stop until everyone I love is gone. I won't let that happen. I won't let him hurt Ron, Hermione, Ginny…and Jemma. I absolutely won't allow him to touch Jemma…I have to be strong…for all of them…_ '

Thinking this, Harry managed to crack a smile as he watched Jemma sleep. "Goodnight, Jem…" he whispered, leaning down to give the little girl a goodnight kiss. At that moment, Jemma opened one eye sleepily and smiled. "Cousins together; friends forever," she said softly. A bit surprised, Harry chuckled and gently tucked a strand of black hair behind Jemma's left ear. "Cousins together; friends forever," he repeated their sacred oath before tiptoeing back to his room.

* * *

Come morning light, Harry's summer began at the Dursleys. As horrid his Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley were, Harry knew that their treatment of him would be nothing compared to what he was going to face when he went back to Hogwarts. Voldemort was back and he knew that he had to be ready.

And he swore to himself, that night when he had broken down in tears and had been comforted and put back together, that he would protect Jemma no matter what.

* * *

 **Like it? Love it? Hate it? Give me your wildest reviews and suggestions for the next chapter, which will be during The Order of the Phoenix. See you ;)**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	9. Chapter 9

**Prepare for the cousin-bonding fluff here, everyone! This isn't exactly following Order of the Phoenix yet because, well, I figured the Boy Who Lived could use a few little moments of joy now. Don't we all agree?**

 **Oh, and I included a little Easter Egg here. Hint: It has something to do with The Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky ;) See if you can spot it.**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING**

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Some Things You Wish That Will Never Change…**

"Harry, come on! Hurry up, slowpoke! We're gonna be late!"

That was always what nine-year-old Jemma Dursley said to her cousin, soon-to-be-fifteen-year-old Harry Potter, once breakfast at 4 Privet Drive was done ever since he came back for the summer. To cheer Harry up after all the terrible things that had happened to him back at Hogwarts and to keep her family from torturing him all the more, Jemma decided that Harry should go along with her to her usual summer hangouts. At first mention of the idea, Vernon and Petunia were livid and figured that the boy should be kept out of sight but Jemma gave them her word that she and Harry wouldn't get into trouble. After much arguing and false starts, Harry found himself being dragged out of the house by Jemma on his first official day of summer to accompany her to fencing class.

Harry jogged to keep up with his younger cousin as she sprinted over to the school gym. By the time he got inside, Jemma was already putting on her protective clothing: chest protector, jacket, _croissard_ , _sous-_ platon, knickers, socks, gloves, and her mask. Jemma's sabre was already out, its blade glinting in the light. Harry looked away from the sabre and turned his attention to Jemma, who lifted up her mask so he could see her face.

"I started taking lessons after you left. You're in for a real treat. I'm facing one of the best students today. I hope I don't lose too fantastically," Jemma grinned. Handing his cousin the sabre, Harry smiled. "It's like waving a wand around, isn't it?" he asked as Jemma slashed the air with her weapon a few times. "A wand twice its normal length. You reckon I can take Malfoy's eyes out with this?" Jemma asked slyly. "Jem…" Harry gave her a warning look. "Kidding!" Jemma giggled before her instructor called for her.

Harry sat down on one of the bleachers and, for a moment, he allowed himself to forget about the nightmares he'd been having ever since he came back from his fourth year at Hogwarts. Watching Jemma wield her sword like a pro to win a fencing match against a rather beefy-looking boy twice her size made Harry smile. Seeing Jemma grow and develop her own interests made him proud to be her cousin. "Brilliant, Ms. Dursley! Brilliant as always," Jemma's fencing instructor, a slim man with thinning grey hair, beamed at the young girl. "That's two out of three, Greg. Wanna make it four matches so we can call it even?" Jemma asked her fencing partner. Greg, a rather stocky fourteen-year-old with bushy blond hair, sighed and shook his head. "Chances are you'll wipe the floor with me again, Jemma," he said before yelping as Jemma poked him in the stomach with her sabre. "And you know it," Jemma grinned before going over to the locker rooms in order to change.

Harry got acquainted with Jemma's fencing instructor, Mr. Javris. The man was surprised to hear that he was Jemma's cousin that went off to a boarding school for hopeless cases because he found Harry to be a respectable young man. "Fine fencer, that girl. I wouldn't be surprised if she'll take on the Olympics someday. Sweet little one, too, selling most of her party dresses and donating the money to charity," Mr. Javris said with a fond smile. Harry raised an eyebrow in surprise. "She did that?" he asked. "Aye, and she volunteers at the zoo's aviary. The girl's got a thing with birds, I've heard," Mr. Javris nodded before Jemma came back, dressed in the clothes she'd been wearing before she came to fencing lessons. "Same time tomorrow, Ms. Dursley. And bring your cousin, too. I think he'd like to see your progress," Mr. Javris suggested. Nodding, Jemma took Harry's hand and they left the gym together.

"You sold your dresses? Wasn't your Mum mad?" Harry asked curiously as they walked to the zoo. "Furious. And those dresses were ghastly for me. They were for little girls and, frankly, I'm not so little now," Jemma replied. That's when Harry got a really good look at Jemma and realized that she had sprung up like a weed during the time he was gone. She'd gotten taller, leaner, her childhood baby fat all gone, and the way her eyes looked at him made him think that he was looking into the eyes of an adult. "Well…what charity did you give the money to?" he asked, trying to sound casual. "A nearby orphanage. The kids needed some new books and clothes so I actually sold my really fancy dresses for the books _and_ donated all of my other old clothes to the orphanage. The girls were really happy," Jemma smiled as they arrived at the aviary. Harry followed her to an office, where they were greeted by a smiling veterinarian with soft blue eyes.

"Ah, Jemma dear, lovely to see you. Oh, and a friend of yours?" the vet turned her gentle gaze to Harry. "Dr. McKellar, this is my cousin. Harry, this is Dr. McKellar. She's the vet-in-charge here at the aviary," Jemma introduced her cousin to her friend. "Wonderful to meet you, Harry. Now, I hope you're used to birds because we'll be helping some today," Dr. McKellar smiled as she led Harry and Jemma to her vet's office. After donning gloves, surgical masks and doctor's scrub caps ("Trust me. Some birds can get really riled up and tear your hair out," _Dr. McKellar told them_ ), they attended to their first feathered patient.

And it was an ill-tempered eagle with a broken wing.

' _Merlin, this thing's madder than Hedwig when I forget to let her out at night…_ ' Harry thought as an assistant brought in the cage containing the screeching bird. Its port wing was hanging limply on its side while the other wing was fluttering about madly as the eagle tried to break out of its cage using its powerful beak. Harry glanced at Jemma, who looked calmly at the eagle as it thrashed about in its cage. "We might need to calm him down," Dr. McKellar said, preparing a tranquilizer but Jemma stopped her. "It's all right, Dr. McKellar," she said softly and approached the cage. The eagle, which had been struggling in its cage, suddenly calmed down and looked at the youngest Dursley with curious golden eyes.

' _We're going to fix your wing. Are you afraid?_ ' Jemma asked the eagle in her mind. The eagle ruffled its plumage and Jemma heard a voice that sounded like a man's speak inside her mind. ' _No, but I am angry at myself for breaking my wing,_ ' it said. ' _You don't have to be mad at yourself. Accidents happen,_ ' Jemma told the eagle. Finally, the eagle was calm enough to be let of his cage.

' _I suppose you're right…but it's quite embarrassing how I broke it. I was trying to do a high-speed spinning dive and crashed…_ ' the eagle said sheepishly and Jemma giggled as she petted it while Dr. McKellar guided Harry in helping her set its broken wing. "A spinning dive _is_ a bit of a risky move. Maybe next time you should do your spinning dive at a lower speed. Then you can increase it once you get the hang of it," Jemma said out loud, earning amused looks from both Dr. McKellar and Harry.

"Oops…did I…? I'm sorry…" Jemma mumbled sheepishly as they finished patching the eagle up. "Giving our friend here some tips on how to avoid broken wings, dear?" Dr. McKellar asked her. Jemma nodded shyly and focused on helping the eagle get back into the cage, its wing now all bandaged up. Dr. McKellar smiled at Harry. "She's got a way with them, doesn't she? When she looks into any bird's eyes…it's as if she's talking to them. And whenever she says something to it out loud, it's like she understood…" she said admiringly. Harry merely nodded, knowing that Dr. McKellar's words were more than just true. He'd seen Jemma talk to Hedwig and Ms. Flitteron, the robin that always stopped by the Dursleys every afternoon, and Jemma would always tell him what they had been talking about.

For the next three hours, they worked on healing any birds that had fallen ill at the aviary or had been rescued from traps. Wounds were bandaged, broken wings were set, and medicines given to ducks, geese, hawks, peacocks, and more eagles.

The last patient was a newly-fledged female Spotted Owl with a scratch across its belly. According to the assistant who brought her in, the little thing had been injured in a fight with a bobcat. Harry, fond of owls, helped Jemma calm the frightened bird down while Dr. McKellar tended to it. "Good girl…Brave, little one…" Jemma smiled as she and Harry petted it. Harry looked at his younger cousin with a loving smile and chuckled when Jemma yelped as the Spotted Owl playfully pecked at her fingers.

The distinct sound a camera shutter going off startled Harry and Jemma. That's when they noticed that Dr. McKellar was holding up an instant camera.

"Sorry! It's just that…Oh, you two look so adorable…" Dr. McKellar smiled while the two cousins laughed. Once the female Spotted Owl ( _who was named Otulissa, according to Jemma_ ) was taken to the owl habitat to recover, Jemma and Harry got ready to leave. Dr. McKellar approached them with her camera. "I have two kids and…they're best friends, hardly see the two of them apart. As for you two, I'm really surprised to see that Dudley isn't with you," she observed. "He doesn't want to spend time with us, Dr. McKellar. He's always with Piers and his gang. They go all around the street, harassing anyone. And Dudley's a dud," Jemma rolled her eyes at the mention of her older brother.

"Now, Jemma, as much of…a dud…"

Harry bit his lip to hold back a laugh while Jemma openly giggled at Dr. McKellar's comment.

"Yes, as much of a dud Dudley is…he's still your brother. As for that bit of him and his gang going around harassing anyone in your street…I daresay, I ought to report it to the authorities. Who knows how many kids they've been terrorizing…" Dr. McKellar said, her face showing concern. "It won't work, Dr. McKellar. Every time someone complains, they always use the same excuse of visiting each other for tea every afternoon," Harry informed her politely. "Well, now _that_ is a terrible lie to add to their list of felonies. Don't you worry, you two. I'll get in touch with the police in your area and see what I can do," Dr. McKellar told them, smiling.

Thanking her, Jemma and Harry left the zoo to head to the park. But not before Dr. McKellar took another picture of Harry and Jemma and gave it to them along with the other one she had taken. The first photo, which Harry decided to keep, was the one where he and Jemma were petting Otulissa. The other one, which Jemma decided to keep herself, showed her standing next to Harry who had his arm around her and they were both smiling happily.

Those were the only two pictures they had of each other.

* * *

"Can't catch me! Can't catch me!"

Jemma shrieked with laughter as she evaded Harry's grasp and ran about the park where they were playing tag. Harry laughed as he successfully tagged Jemma and hollered, "Try to catch me, Jem!" as he sprinted to avoid getting tagged. Of course, Jemma was fast and tagged Harry in mere minutes. "You're It – _again_!" Jemma giggled before squealing as Harry suddenly grabbed her and spun her about. "I guess we're both It, then," Harry grinned as Jemma giggled in his arms. They sat on the swings, out of breath, and just looked up at the clouds.

"You all right, Harry?" Jemma asked her cousin after a few moments of silence. Harry glanced at Jemma, her sweet face positively beaming at him but with the hint of concern, and smiled back. "Yeah. This summer's off to a great start, Jem," he replied.

And so that was how most of Harry's summer was like. Keeping out of Dudley's way and avoiding his Aunt and Uncle so he and Jemma could go off and do whatever they wanted. They'd attend fencing classes where Harry would encouragingly watch from the sidelines as Jemma parried and counter-parried fellow fencers' attacks before heading off to the zoo once again to volunteer and end their day at the park. Mr. Javris and Dr. McKellar soon became one of the few adult friends Harry had back in the Muggle world, although he refused to tell them of his life outside of 4 Privet Drive. Jemma, herself, would not be swayed to tell anyone about Harry's real story. She and Harry had both sworn to each other when they were little that they would keep whatever secret they shared between them a secret no matter what.

And one of those secrets happened to be Harry's real identity as a wizard.

* * *

Then, one day, Dr. McKellar stayed true to her word and came forward to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley with a constable one morning about Dudley's behavior. Naturally, the Dursleys ( _minus Jemma_ ) defended Dudley and were only let off with a warning. But once Petunia and Vernon found out who accused their dear Dudley, they were horrified. Petunia refused to speak to Jemma while Dudley made it his personal mission to make not just Harry's but his own little sister's life miserable, often failing to do so since they were out of the house most of the time. Vernon, on the other hand, was more than furious.

"How could you do that to your own brother?!"

"Well, he and his gang have no right to terrorize anyone in the neighborhood! And, really, Dad! You and Mum are spoiling him too much! He's practically a delinquent now and you're both just fawning over him!"

"Your brother is just practicing what every boy must learn in life! As for delinquency, young lady, I ought to send you to a reform school for hanging out with the likes of that boy!"

"Harry's no delinquent! I don't care what you, Mum, and Dudley say! Harry is my cousin and my family…In fact, he's been more family to me than you three have ever been!"

Locked in his room, Harry listened to the argument between his uncle and younger cousin until he heard someone stomping upstairs to his room. Quickly, Harry scrambled into bed to hide just before his Uncle Vernon threw open the door. To his surprise, Jemma was there and Vernon harshly pushed her inside. "She's staying there with you until she learns the truth – that you, boy, are nothing but trouble for her!" Vernon snapped and slammed the door, locking it again.

"Well, that takes care of that. I better call Mr. Javris and Dr. McKellar and tell them that I won't be coming tomorrow…" Jemma sighed before Harry motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed. "Jem, why'd you do that?" Harry asked her. "He won't see the truth. Dudley's a bratty dud and do I really need to reiterate what he and Mum have been doing to you? They're lucky I haven't decided to call the police and charge them with child abuse," Jemma huffed. "Even so, he's still your Dad. My Aunt Petunia's your Mum and Dudley's your brother. Just because they hate me, that shouldn't make _you_ hate _them_ ," Harry scolded her. Jemma looked at Harry sadly. "It's not fair…It's not fair to you, Harry. You deserve love. You deserve a family…" she said softly. "And I do have them," Harry smiled as he pulled out the photograph of him and Jemma, placing it next to the frame where he had the special moving picture of his parents. "My parents may no longer be alive, but I know they're watching over me. And as for you, Jemma…you're my family here. Your love's more than enough…" he told his younger cousin. Smiling, Jemma hugged Harry tightly. "No matter what, Harry, you'll always be my family and I'll always love you. We're cousins together; friends forever," she sighed. "Cousins together; friends forever…" Harry repeated softly, hugging her back.

* * *

After a while, Jemma was let out and she and Harry were back to their summer routine of fencing classes, volunteering at the zoo's aviary, and playing at the park.

Then the dementors attacked.

* * *

 **Next chapter is when the Order of the Phoenix events happen. Until then, read and review!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	10. Chapter 10

**This might be one of the longest chapters I ve ever written. Hope you guys like it :)**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: ...Often Change Due to Unexpected Circumstances (Companion to Ch. 9)**

The sun beat down mercilessly on Surrey that afternoon, the heat shriveling up all the grass and warming the dust beneath Harry and Jemma's feet. The two of them were just sitting on the swings, unsure of what to do and oblivious to what was going to happen. Jemma glanced at Harry, who stared straight ahead. He was lost in thought again and she didn't mind. She often did that, too, think until the only thing she can focus on are her thoughts.

A little boy was being called over by his mother from the roundabout and that made both of them smile a little. Then the two cousins' peace and quiet was ruined when Dudley and his gang arrived.

Jemma rolled her eyes when she heard Piers snicker, "Midget's hanging out with the freak again." While Harry tried to be civil with her big brother. "Hey, Big D. Beat up another ten-year-old?" Harry asked. "This one deserved it," Dudley replied, clenching his beefy fists. "Five against one, very brave," Harry said sarcastically. "Well, _you're_ one to talk. Moaning in your sleep every night. At least I m not afraid of my pillow," Dudley mocked him, his gang laughing uproariously.

Jemma worriedly glanced at Harry, who looked ready to either bolt up and run or rush at Dudley and punch him as hard as he could. She knew what her brother was talking about. Despite the fun times she and Harry had during the day all summer, Jemma couldn't stop her cousin's nightmares of Cedric Diggory, a fourth year Hufflepuff student, getting killed by Lord Voldemort. Sometimes, she snuck out of her room at night to check on Harry only to find him restlessly tossing and turning in his sleep. It was during those times that Jemma wished she was magic and she could perform a spell to keep Harry's bad dreams at bay. But, well, she wasn't and the best she could do was hold Harry's clammy hand and whisper soothing words into his ear.

 _"Don't kill Cedric!"_

Jemma gave her brother a sharp look as he carried on. "Who's Cedric? Your boyfriend?" Dudley asked mockingly. "Shut up..." Harry muttered, trying not to lose his cool.

"He's going to kill me, Mum! Where _is_ your Mum? Where is your Mum, Potter? Is she dead?"

"Dudley, enough!" Jemma snapped only to get laughed at by Dudley's gang. "Is she dead?!" Dudley asked loudly, his friends laughing louder. That's when Harry got off the swing and took out his wand to face Dudley. "Harry, no!" Jemma yelped, grabbing her cousin's free hand. If Harry used magic outside of Hogwarts, he was sure to get in trouble! "You and your band of idiots just leave us already, you dud!" Jemma shouted angrily, shoving her brother off. But Dudley smirked meanly and shoved back, sending Jemma sprawling into the dirt.

Getting up and patting the dust off her pants, Jemma was about to fight back to keep Harry from using his wand when she looked up at the sky. The bright blue heavens were now covered with ominous blackish-green clouds and the wind had begun to blow wildly, chilling her to the bone. "What's going on? What are you doing?" Dudley asked Harry, ignoring his gang as they tried to get him to leave with them. "I'm not doing anything!" Harry said in defense while Piers and the rest of Dudley's gang ran off.

Jemma looked up at the sky the same time as her cousin and brother. Then, she decided to take charge.

"We need to go, _now_. _Run!_ "

At those words, Jemma took off running with Harry and Dudley right behind her. They ran and they ran and they ran, ignoring the pouring rain that suddenly came, until they reached an abandoned tunnel. Jemma and Harry often passed by there to stay out of the sun when it got too hot and they usually played hide-and-seek in there and, for fun, liked to shout out and listen to the echoes of their voices. Now, it served as shelter for the both of them and Dudley from the rain while hiding from who knew what would come for them.

"Let's just wait for the rain to stop..." Jemma breathed out, catching her breath, before shivering. She then gave Dudley a look that clearly said, ' _If I get sick, I blame_ _you_ ' And leaned against a wall. As she breathed in and out deeply, Jemma shivered all the more and her breath came out in misty puffs. But that can't be right. Just earlier, it was one of the hottest days ever. Now it was suddenly cold enough to see your breath like in winter? That can't be right...

Jemma noticed that the lights in the tunnel were flickering and the air just kept getting colder. Wondering if she, Dudley, and Harry should leave, Jemma looked at them...and made the mistake of looking up as well.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Jemma screamed, seeing the dementor before Harry could. Harry only had a split second to breathe before the dementor revealed itself and grabbed him by the throat, pinning him against the wall!

"Dudley, Jemma, _run!_ " he croaked, seeing Dudley backed up against the wall, eyes wide in fear, while Jemma was still screaming. For once, Dudley listened and grabbed his little sister and made a break for it. Of course, his bloated weight couldn't make him run any faster and he suddenly slipped, falling onto his back, while Jemma skidded to a halt. Another dementor, just as big and ghastly - looking as the first one, came flying into the tunnel and Jemma screamed again. Frightened out of her wits, Jemma took several steps back until she all but pressed herself against the wall. When the dementors began to suck out Dudley and Harry's souls, that's when Jemma snapped out of it.

"Leave them alone! Go away!" she shrieked, peeling herself off the wall. Harry was the one closest to her so she tried to pull his dementor off first. "Leave my cousin alone!" Jemma cried out and grabbed at the dementor's raggedy black cloak. All of a sudden, the dementor let out an unearthly shriek, as if it had been burned, as Harry managed to grab his wand. The dementor then faced Jemma and the youngest Dursley shut her eyes, praying that her death would be painless, when...

" _Expecto patronum!_ "

A blinding white light flashed through Jemma's eyelids and she opened her eyes just a crack to see a large stag made of pure white light chase the dementor off. ' _So that's a Patronus..._ ' the young girl thought as Harry waved his wand at the other dementor, blasting it away from Dudley. Once the dementors had fled, Jemma and Harry rushed over to an almost catatonic Dudley. "I thought dementors stayed in that wizard prison, Azkaban...what were they doing _here?_ " Jemma whispered to Harry as she helped him with her older brother. As horrid Dudley was to her, Jemma was seriously hoping he hadn t suffered permanent damage. Then, Jemma noticed something odd about her hands.

They were covered in soot. Now how did _that_ happen?

Quickly, Jemma wiped her hands on her jeans when she heard footsteps. Hiding his wand, Harry looked to one entrance to the tunnel. To his and Jemma's surprise, Mrs. Figg came tottering towards them in a raincoat. "Mrs. Figg..." Harry attempted to explain himself but what the old lady had to say baffled him.

"Don't put your wand away, Harry. They might come back," Mrs. Figg cautioned him. Jemma could only raise her eyebrows in shock as Mrs. Figg helped her and Harry take Dudley back to 4 Privet Drive.

"Dementors in Little Whinging. Whatever next? Whole world's topsy-turvy..." Mrs. Figg mused. Jemma could only look at her neighbor, who lived in a house that smelled of cabbage and had numerous pictures of cats, in confusion. "I don't understand. How do you know about...?" Harry managed to ask Mrs. Figg before she said, "Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on you."

"What?" Jemma wondered out loud. "Dumbledore? You know Dumbledore?" Harry asked, stunned. Mrs. Figg nodded and told Harry something Jemma wished she could have paid more attention to if she hadn't been preoccupied with supporting Dudley's fat weight. Honestly, she would have toppled over if Harry hadn t given her a hand.

When they reached the Dursley residence, Mrs. Figg gave both of them a warning. "Whatever happens, don't leave the house. Especially you, Jemma dear. I know you'll want to know more about this but, for now, it's best that you stay inside," she told Jemma specifically, who nodded. "I can't believe it. All this time Mrs. Figg knew about magic..." Jemma mumbled to herself before noticing Harry looking at her oddly. "What?" Jemma tilted her head to the side. "How'd your hair dry so fast?" Harry looked at Jemma's hair, confused. Just a little while ago, Jemma's black hair was soaked and clinging to her neck in soppy strands. Now, it was dry and even looked a bit glossy. Jemma took notice of this and shrugged. "I dunno. Global warming, maybe?" she guessed as they got inside the house.

* * *

Just when Jemma thought that the danger had passed once she and Harry were inside the house, she was proven wrong. Not only were her parents, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, furious and blamed Harry for Dudley's state, a talking letter arrived saying that, due to the use of magic by an under aged wizard in the presence of two Muggles, Harry was expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Justice is served," Vernon said triumphantly, still holding up a spoon he was using to eat ice cream. Jemma could only give Harry a worried look before her parents made her go to Mrs. Figg's for the night while they took Dudley to the hospital.

Jemma was given the guest room ( _which also smelled like cabbage_ ) and an oversized t-shirt and cotton bloomers to change in. But, try as she might, Jemma couldn't sleep and looked out the window over at her house to see if anything was happening. As the night deepened, Jemma was still watching her house until, finally, she saw lights coming from Harry's bedroom window. After asking permission from Mrs. Figg, who had stayed up with her, Jemma ran out the front door in time to see Harry along with three other wizards and two witches with their broomsticks. Of the wizards, Jemma found one scary due to his mad-looking right eyeball while she found one witch, with lavender-coloured hair and wearing a black leather jacket, very pretty.

"Not here, Nymphadora," the mad-eyeball wizard said to her and Jemma's doe brown eyes widened as the witch's hair suddenly turned red. " _Don't_ call me Nymphadora," the witch warned him before catching sight of Jemma, clad in her sleeping clothes and wearing her red trainers, and smiled. The mad-eyeball wizard then took notice and cursed under his breath. "Blast it all, now a Muggle child's seen us..." he muttered. "I'll handle this," one wizard, wearing rich purple robes, got out his wand but Harry stopped him.

Going over to Jemma, Harry crouched down to her level. "You're going somewhere dangerous again, aren't you?" Jemma questioned him. "It would appear so, Jem," Harry shrugged. "Why do you always end up getting into all sorts of trouble, Harry?" Jemma sighed. Harry, as dire the situation was, couldn't help but chuckle at Jemma's childlike behaviour. "Believe me, I've asked myself that very same question loads of times," he smiled. "Well, I guess that means I have to stay here, huh?" Jemma said, looking rather disappointed, and gazed at the broomsticks forlornly. Oh, how she wished she could accompany Harry to wherever he was going and experience flying on a broomstick! "You have to, Jem. Wherever I'm going, it might not be safe for you. Just stay here and make sure you behave yourself. I wouldn t want your parents scolding you next if you got into your own kind of mischief," Harry told her gently. Jemma managed a smile. "Okay," she nodded and gently brushed her hand against Harry's scar like she always did when they had to part ways.

As much as they were in a hurry, the Advance Guard found the scene rather touching. Even Mad Eye Alastor Moody could see that the bond between Harry and the Muggle child was special. Tonks took particular pleasure in seeing the smile creeping up the old Auror's lips and jibed, "Have a soft spot for her now do you, Moody?" making the paranoid wizard give her a mad-eyed glare.

Harry and Jemma didn't notice the members of the Guard watching them and hugged. "Be safe..." Jemma whispered into Harry's ear. Nodding, Harry ruffled Jemma's hair and, with one last look at his younger cousin, mounted his Firebolt and joined the Advance Guard of the Order of the Phoenix in the air. Jemma watched them fly until she could no longer see them and went back inside Mrs. Figg's house for the rest of the night.

* * *

For the next few days, all was normal until...Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore arrived at Mrs. Figg's doorstep. Jemma had now taken to visiting Mrs. Figg since she felt indebted to her for keeping an eye on Harry and was there when the Headmaster of Hogwarts arrived. Once she had poured him a cup of tea, Jemma immediately asked Dumbledore if Harry was doing all right and if he was still allowed to attend Hogwarts.

"Please, Sir, you have to help Harry. Hogwarts is where he belongs, not here. My parents and brother...no matter what I do, no matter what I say...they treat Harry like dirt. You have to let his expulsion be lifted, please," she begged. Dumbledore gently placed a hand on Jemma's shoulder. "My dear girl that is why I am here. Now, Harry is due to have a hearing at the Ministry of Magic today and I need Mrs. Figg as a witness to defend him," he said, nodding to Mrs. Figg who was already setting her things in order. Jemma's ears pricked up and an idea, a rather brilliant one, popped into her head. "I can be a witness, too! I was there when Harry conjured the Patronus to save my brother and I from the dementors!" she piped up. Dumbledore, as much as he admired the youngest Dursley's eagerness to be of assistance, wasn't sure but Jemma would not listen to his reasons for not allowing her to go. "Ms. Dursley, the Ministry of Magic doesn't allow children in court. And, another thing, I'm sure Harry would be furious at me for getting you involved," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "Don't worry, Sir, I ll tell him that I applied for witness out of my own accord. It's my decision to help Harry in any way I can and this is what I want to do," Jemma said optimistically.

Finally, Dumbledore agreed to let Jemma come to the hearing. After telling her parents that she was going on a camping trip with some of her friends for a few days, Jemma dressed in an outfit she deemed would be formal for a Ministry of Magic hearing - a white blouse, red skirt, white knee socks and plain black shoes.

Dumbledore smiled as Jemma arrived, ready to go along with Mrs. Figg, and opened a window in Mrs. Figg's house. Jemma's eyes widened in awe as Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, flew in.

' _Hello, young one,_ ' Fawkes voice sounded in Jemma's mind, full of warmth and gentleness. ' _Hello, Mr. Phoenix..._ ' Jemma answered back telepathically. ' _Please, call me_ _Fawkes, young one. Mr. Phoenix sounds a bit too formal,_ ' Fawkes chuckled. ' _If you say so, Fawkes. As for me, you can call me Jemma or Jem for short,_ ' Jemma replied in her mind, smiling. Dumbledore had been watching the entire exchange the whole time and he was, indubitably, rather amazed at the youngest Dursley's ability. Perhaps he had been wrong about the Dursleys not having a drop of magical blood in their veins.

This child, this sprightly young girl, could have the potential to become a very powerful witch...once she knew what kind of magic she had.

For Dumbledore, he already knew exactly what kind of magic Harry's younger cousin possessed the minute he saw Fawkes pluck out one of his lovely scarlet feathers and gave it to Jemma. "A gift for me? Thank you, Fawkes, you're too kind," Jemma grinned and, for fun, tucked the phoenix feather behind her right ear. "Now, if you all just gently grasp onto Fawkes' tail..." Dumbledore instructed Jemma and Mrs. Figg before grasping onto his phoenix's tail. In a flash of fire, they were sent to the Ministry of Magic.

* * *

As fascinating the Ministry of Magic was, with all its Floo Powder networks and flying paper birds delivering news and whatnot, Jemma wasn't there for sightseeing. They'd arrived three hours early so Harry wasn t there yet and Dumbledore intended to keep it that way, at least, until it was her turn to testify. She was kept in a secluded nook while Mrs. Figg went out to testify in the hearing, left with Fawkes for company, until the phoenix sensed that it was Jemma's turn to be a witness. ' _There's nothing to fear, Jem. Just speak from your heart and your mind. In tandem, they ll be able to help you convince the Ministry see the light of the truth,_ ' the phoenix encouraged her. Jemma smiled and stroked his beautiful head. ' _You really think so, Fawkes? I m not so sure..._ ' she asked, looking doubtful.

What Fawkes told her both reassured and baffled Jemma.

' _I'm sure, Jemma. You have a heart that burns with courage and love yet you have wit and cunning. Be brave, little Phoenix Soul, and you shall not fail..._ '

Jemma was just about to ask Fawkes what he meant by "Phoenix Soul" when Dumbledore came to get her. Following the Headmaster into the courtroom, Jemma took a deep breath to compose herself and went straight in.

"Jemma...?" Harry breathed out as his younger cousin entered the courtroom. All at once, the council began to whisper amongst themselves.

"A Muggle child, _here?_ "

"I don't sense any type of spell cast on her. How could she be able to see all of this?"

"Dear me, she looks like a deer caught in headlights. Poor girl..."

Jemma ignored all the remarks and sat on the witness chair, previously occupied by Mrs. Figg, and looked up at the aging Cornelius Fudge. "Ah, Ms. Jemma Marie Dursley. Lovely to see you again, lass," the Minister of Magic managed a smile, remembering the bright-eyed girl of eight he had taken to Hogwarts during the holidays. "Pleasure to see you again as well, Minister Fudge," Jemma smiled before one of the wizards heading the hearing asked her, "Tell me, child, what exactly happened on that afternoon where Mr. Potter performed the Patronus Charm in your presence along with that of another Muggle?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore with both confusion and concealed anger. A hearing was already bad enough but did Jemma really have to be involved, too? Much to Harry's annoyance, Dumbledore refused to make eye contact with him and was focused on Jemma.

Jemma pursed her lips and took a minute to completely gather her thoughts. Fawkes' words came back to her.

 ** _'You have a heart that burns with courage and love yet you have wit and cunning. Be brave, little Phoenix Soul, and you shall not fail...'_**

She had to do this...for Harry.

"Well, for starters, Harry and I were at the park. My brother Dudley, the other Muggle you mentioned, came with his gang to annoy us. All of a sudden, the sky turned dark. We ran for shelter in a nearby tunnel when the weather worsened. For a few minutes, it was all quiet. Then I looked up and saw the dementor. It was a nasty, terrifying thing to look at, with its hood gone and nothing but a gaping soul sucking mouth in its face. That one dementor grabbed Harry by the throat and pinned him to the wall. He told Dudley and I to run and we did. But, then, Dudley slipped and fell just as another dementor, as nasty as the first one, arrived. I m not going to lie, I was screaming almost the entire time and I was terrified out of my mind. When the dementors began to suck Harry and Dudley's souls out, I came to my senses and tried to help. Harry s dementor was the one nearest to me and I grabbed at its cloak to try pull it off of him. I was able to distract it long enough for Harry to use his wand to free himself from its grip. When the dementor faced me, I shut my eyes and braced myself for the end. That's when Harry used his Patronus. First on the dementor about to attack me and, next, at the dementor that was sucking out my brother's soul."

The words came out of Jemma's mouth so easily that, after she had finished speaking, she was surprised of herself. Meanwhile, the rest of the wizarding council was murmuring incoherently. Then one of the members of the council, a woman wearing what Jemma deemed to be the most ghastly-looking pink ( _and, mind you, Jemma_ _wasn't very fond of pink_ ) outfit piped up. "That's a wonderful story, dearie. But you are a Muggle so you shouldn't be able to see them. Are you sure you didn't see something else?" she asked with a sickly sweet smile that made Jemma's stomach turn. "I know what I saw m'am. And I may be a Muggle but I can see magic and know that it exists," she answered back, brown eyes flashing in annoyance.

Harry gripped the edges of his seat worriedly while Mrs. Figg gently patted his back. Dumbledore, on the other hand, calmly smiled.

"If Harry hadn't used magic, Dudley and I could have been killed or worse. I know he's not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts and that he is underage but, surely, Minister Fudge and other members of this council. Surely, a life-threatening situation like a dementor attack warrants a witch or a wizard to use magic in self-defense?" Jemma inquired, feeling a bit braver, as she clutched the feather Fawkes had given her in her hands.

The council took a few moments to make its decision but, in the end, Harry was allowed back into Hogwarts. The rest of the hearing was a bit of a blur for Jemma since she was not used to seeing so many severe-looking witches and wizards in one place but knowing that all charges against Harry were dropped was what mattered to her. Little did Jemma know that she had now caught the interest of the Ministry of Magic, as she was the first Muggle child to witness something magical despite the special spells and charms used to block magic from Muggle eyes.

They wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, thanks to Dumbledore, but the entire Ministry was curious now of little Jemma.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry had taken Jemma aside to talk to her. "He didn't put you up to this, did he?" he asked her. "It was my decision and mine alone," Jemma shook her head. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What were you thinking, Jem? I told you to stay out of trouble. Who knows what your parents will think when they find out about this..." he muttered. "Oh, don't worry, I gave them a false story. I told them I was going camping with my friends for a few days," Jemma said easily. Harry stared at her in surprise. "Yes, I can come up with a good lie or two. I don't like to lie, to be honest, but I'll do it when the need arises, which I hope won't be too often," Jemma shrugged as she tucked the phoenix feather behind her right ear, not forgetting to mention Fawkes to Harry as she did. "You talked to Fawkes?" Harry asked her. "Mm-hmmm, and he's very nice, Harry. He gave me quite a bit of courage when it was time for me to testify as a witness," Jemma nodded.

Dumbledore had left once the hearing was over but used his magic to send Harry, Jemma, and Mrs. Figg back to London. From there, Harry would have to part ways with Jemma again to go back to 12 Grimmauld Place while she and Mrs. Figg went back to Surrey.

"Try not to get into too much trouble, okay, Harry?" Jemma requested. "Only if _you_ promise me that you won't get into trouble yourself," Harry smirked, feeling a bit more cheerful now that the hearing was over. "Deal," Jemma nodded and they pinky swore while saying their oath.

 _"Cousins together; friends forever."_

But before Harry left, Jemma asked him to do her a favor. "Would you mind asking Dumbledore what a _Phoenix Soul_ is? Fawkes called me that earlier. I think it's some sort of name or title. Anyway, I'm rather curious about it and would like to know what it means," Jemma requested. This, Harry promised to do so as he left while Jemma went back with Mrs. Figg to Little Whinging.

* * *

Of course, nothing would stop her from seeing Harry off at King's Cross Station. She took quite a risk in sneaking off to London all on her own to see him. Naturally, Harry was a bit cross with her. "I'm beginning to see my godfather in you," he muttered as he pushed his trolley. "Why, is he a bit of a rebel?" Jemma asked as she followed him, an enormous black dog following them both. "Yes, he is and he's with us right now," Harry sighed. "Really, where?" Jemma looked around before hearing the mad-eyeball wizard, whom she now knew was Alastor Moody, bark out, "Padfoot!" and the black dog that had been following her and Harry around went to an empty waiting room in the station. Jemma's eyes widened as the silhouette of the dog transformed into a man. Following Harry inside, Jemma was face-to-face with Sirius Black.

One look at Jemma and Sirius chuckled, "I see a bit of Lily in you. She always had bright and expressive eyes," ruffling Jemma's hair. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Black. Harry's told me a lot about you and that you're an Ani...Animangus..." Jemma said, her tongue wrapping around the odd word with difficulty. Seeing that her cousin needed to talk with his godfather, Jemma excused herself and left to talk with Nymphadora. "Ah, call me Tonks, Jem. I hate being called Nymphadora. Fool of a mother, I mean really? Who names their daughter _Nymphadora?_ " Tonks said breezily. Jemma loved Tonks, her personality, and ability to change her hair color and even face into different animals. "We're called _Metamorphmagi_ in the wizarding world," Tonks told her. "I wish I was a Metamorphmagus...that's the singular form, right?" Jemma asked her, earning a smile and a nod. Soon, the time came for Harry to leave for Hogwarts. "I'll try to write as often as I can but. I'm scared someone might intercept our letters..." he said, a bit worried for Jemma's safety. Send me an update whenever you can. I'll understand," Jemma reassured him as she saw him off. Then, once her cousin crossed the magical barrier, Jemma bought herself a train ticket back home, faced her enraged family without so much as a trace of fear, promised not to do it again, and all was back to normal.

Well, sort of.

From then on, Jemma changed both physically and mentally. Gone was the shy, little girl wearing miniature princess outfits, pampered and spoiled by her doting family, who rarely put a toe out of line. Instead, in its place, a confident tomboyish girl who sometimes rebelled against her family came to become the champion of those who were bullied and oppressed. Jemma wasn't afraid to speak her heart and mind out, especially when it came to issues about bullying, child abuse, and oppression. Her family, trying so hard to maintain their typical suburban lifestyle, didn't know what to think of this new wild girl who had replaced their little princess.

Vernon was furious and aggressively sought out ways to keep Jemma under control only for his daughter to cleverly slip away just when he thought he'd gotten ahold of her.

Petunia tried to send Jemma to a reformatory school but Jemma's behavior, in every school's opinion, wasn't bad enough to sentence her to any reform school. Tomboyish as she was, Jemma was still a sweetheart and everyone thought her to be a peach.

Dudley, still traumatized from the dementor incident, stayed out of Jemma's way so as not to provoke her into mentioning magic or other freakish things.

Jemma quite liked the new her and even Ms. Flitteron, her robin friend, admired her for her courage to change. ' _I must say, Jem, I like the new you. It's like you've been_ _reborn into your truer self,'_ the robin chirped to her. ' _Thanks, Ms. Flitteron. Reborn into your truer self...it's like how a phoenix is reborn from the ashes...Phoenix Soul...whatever Fawkes meant when he called me that...I quite like it...'_ Jemma thanked her old friend before noticing that Ms. Flitteron's feathers weren't their usual glossy brown color. ' _Are you all right, Ms. Flitteron?'_ she asked worriedly. ' _Oh, just old age, Jem You know how we robins don't live as long as your folk...'_ Ms. Flitteron replied. Now, Jemma was worried. ' _But you'll be fine, right? Winter's coming soon and you'll make it to spring, right?'_ she asked hopefully.

Ms. Flitteron merely flew off, leaving Jemma to wonder if she would see her first ever bird friend again...which she would...then she would watch her die.

* * *

Harry had tried several times to talk to Dumbledore. His promise to find out for Jemma what "Phoenix Soul" means wasn't the only thing he needed to talk to the Headmaster about. Loads of things were happening from his strange dreams/visions to Umbridge. Times like these, Harry was glad for the company of his friends, now that they ve resurrected the Order of the Phoenix under the name of Dumbledore's Army, but was also feeling lonely. His letters from Jemma were a source of comfort to him and he wondered how she was doing.

* * *

 _'Jemma,_

 _I'm really sorry if I haven't written to you in a while. No, I haven't found out what Fawkes meant when he called you a "Phoenix Soul" from Dumbledore yet. He's been avoiding me lately. Umbridge isn't making things easier with her teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. We're hardly learning anything!_

 _It's frustrating, Jem. I feel even more alone sometimes even when I'm back here at Hogwarts. I really don't know what to do anymore. Everything's gone mad..._

 _I have to go. We're having another meeting of Dumbledore's Army tonight. Write to you again when I can._

 _Harry'_

* * *

 _'Harry,_

 _It may seem like you re alone but don't be. Hermione and Ron are there for you and so is the rest of Dumbledore's Army (A fine name for an illegal magical defense club, by the way. Makes me wish I was magic so I can join!). I like how you re taking charge there. With such an incompetent teacher, no wonder you all have to practice magic in secret!_

 _And, don't worry if you can't find out the meaning of "Phoenix Soul" from Dumbledore. For all we know, it could have been just a nickname Fawkes came up for me. You don't need to look into it anymore, Harry. I know you ve got a lot more important things in mind._

 _But, oh Harry, it's been rather lonely for me without you here. Ms. Flitteron died this spring. She was already quite ill when she left Surrey during winter but she was even worse when she came back. I got to have one last chat with her, right on my room's windowsill, before she died. Her last words to me were these:_

 _"You're a bird ready to leave the nest, Jem. It's time for you to take flight and have your own adventures in this vast world."_

 _I cried when she said that and cried even harder when Ms. Fliterron breathed her last. Mum found me crying and screamed when she saw her body. I have to admit, I was very distressed when she tried to take Ms. Flitteron's body away. I told her I wanted to bury her but Mum said no. I got very mad at her, Harry, and threw a terrible tantrum. By the time Mum finally agreed to let me bury Ms. Flitteron, I had screamed myself hoarse. On top of that, one of our neighbors across the street suffered a fright when their hedge suddenly burst into flames. My parents said that it was probably just an accident with their barbecue or something._

 _I buried Ms. Flitteron in the woods today. As sad as it is to say goodbye, I know that death's a part of life. I think I'll be all right, Harry, so don't worry about me._

 _And, like I said before, don't feel as if you're all alone. You have your friends there in Hogwarts and they'll be there for you till the very end. As for in the Muggle world, you can count on me to be waiting for you until you return._

 _Jemma'_

* * *

But Harry's comfort was only temporary as more trials awaited him. And the latest one, Occulumency with Professor Snape, was torture to him. No matter what he did, he just couldn't block Snape from his mind.

As peeved he was with the Potter boy's failure to clear his mind, Snape had some sick pleasure in invading the boy's memories. In the memories, he could see how easily clouded the boy's judgement was when his emotions were involved. The boy's heart did not work well together with his head and Snape could easily come up with other insults about it to use on the boy later on.

However, what he now saw in the boy's memories made Snape wonder if he had thought wrong of the boy and his resolve.

He was in a park, the sun shining and the sky a perfect shade of blue. Snape's eyes then wandered over to Harry, who was sitting on a swing and smiling, before a young girl wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and dust-covered trainers ran over to him. When the girl turned around, Snape could see her doe brown eyes and he was suddenly reminded of Lily when she smiled.

 _'Can't be...She's nothing like her...'_ Snape thought but the more he watched the girl, the more Snape saw sweet Lily Evans. What surprised him was how happy Harry was as he helped her go higher and higher on the swing. The girl giggled and kicked at the air with her feet. When she wanted to stop swinging, she dug her heels into the ground. Now, what really took hold of Snape's heart was when he saw the two of them play tag and Harry caught the girl and spun her about in his arms. The way the girl shrieked with delight and affectionately rubbed her nose against Harry's made Snape want to gag at the sight of so much affection but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

The scene changed again and Snape found himself in the hallway of the Dursleys. The girl, no more than a little four-year-old, crept out of the kitchen and went to the cupboard under the stairs. That was how Snape discovered that James's son wasn't treated like a prince as he had originally thought. He listened as the girl whispered her woes and whatever else her young mind could think of and saw the emerald green eyes, perfect replicas of Lily's own, in the darkness of the cupboard.

What really made Snape go cold was seeing a memory of Harry tucking the girl into bed, smiling gently as he drew the covers over the young Muggle, and whispered, "I'll never let anyone hurt you, Jemma...not even him...I won't _ever_ let him touch you...I promise."

When he was brought out of the boy's mind, Snape blinked his eyes and put on a stern face. But the boy didn't even flinch. Rather his gaze was filled with such scathing rage over the violation of his privacy that Snape wondered how much longer he could keep his facial expression neutral until the boy spoke.

"She's one reason why I'm putting up with this. And I think you know very well who ' _him_ ' is," Harry said coldly. At this, Snape couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Not you. Voldemort. And I'm really trying everything I can here but, please, stay out of those memories. You can go through the others...but my memories of Jemma...they're off limits and no exceptions," Harry said, his lips twitching into what Snape figured was a scowl.

Finally, he managed to gather his wits to make a comeback.

"Then try harder...if you wish to protect the girl from You-Know-Who."

That, finally, got the boy to cooperate.

* * *

Jemma was not expecting Harry to look so miserable when he arrived at King's Cross Station after his fifth year at Hogwarts and with some members of the Order. Meeting them had a rather negative effect on her family but the members of the Order and Dumbledore's Army were happy to see her.

It was only during the night did Jemma find out why Harry looked so sad: Sirius Black was dead.

"Oh, Harry..." Jemma whispered as she embraced her grieving cousin. "I'm so sorry..." she said softly. Harry didn't say anything and just hugged Jemma, the only _real_ family he now truly had, and prayed that she wouldn't be taken away from him, too.

* * *

 **Poor Harry...**

 **But at least Jemma's there for him.**

 **Anyway, read and review. See you guys soon.**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, guys…**

 **This chapter may break your hearts and your feels so…keep some tissues handy!**

 **PS: This starts shortly after Harry is sent to live with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer and ends after the end of the sixth book/film.**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING!**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: Why Do You Have to Say Goodbye?**

"He just left?"

Jemma Dursley asked her family during breakfast after she had woken up to find that her cousin, Harry, hadn't arrived home last night. Vernon Dursley, Jemma's father, had a shrewd smile on his face as he handed his daughter an opened letter. "He didn't leave, Jem dear. His crackpot headmaster sent him to live with freaks like him. See for yourself," he sneered as Petunia, Jemma's mother, served him his coffee.

Jemma read the letter enclosed in the envelope.

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,_

 _For protection, your nephew, Mr. Harry Potter, has been relocated to a new house for the rest of the summer until the end of his sixth year at Hogwarts. His owl, Hedwig, and trunk have already been transported to his new location. We apologize if this has caused you any inconvenience._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

"At least we'll have a few summer days without that freak, huh, Midget?" Dudley, Jemma's older brother, grinned meanly, spraying bread crumbs all over the table as he ate. "Shut up, dud," Jemma rolled her eyes at him before leaving the dining area.

Going upstairs to her room, Jemma looked at the windowsill and sighed. ' _Oh, yeah…Ms. Flitteron's gone…_ ' she thought sadly as she settled on reading some of Harry's old spell books. " _Rictusempra…Expelliarmus…Bombarda…Finite Incantatem…_ " Jemma delighted in her success in pronouncing the complex syllables and daydreamed about being able to cast such spells if she had been magic like her cousin.

When the time came for her to go to fencing practice, Jemma quickly stashed the spell books into her closet. ' _Harry will come back when the summer starts. He won't be able to write to me this year but he will come back…_ ' Jemma thought hopefully as she left the house. For the rest of the summer, Jemma went to fencing classes and volunteering at the zoo's aviary on her own. Mr. Javris and Dr. McKellar asked her what had happened to Harry and Jemma made up a story that he had to go to boarding school early to help with preparing for the campus.

But Jemma knew the truth.

She'd known from the very beginning that Harry was no ordinary wizard. Many dark wizards were after him and the most dangerous of them all, Lord Voldemort, had returned to finish the job he had failed to do so when Harry was just a baby.

And that was to kill him.

* * *

Already Harry had suffered so much. And, at the end of his fifth year, he had lost his godfather. Because of that, Harry had been less cheerful that summer. Of course, for his sweet younger cousin, Harry still managed to smile and have fun during his summer with her. They had even gained a new hobby of going to the train stations and just riding the trains to wherever they would take them. It helped take Harry's mind off of things and seemed to relax him as he and Jemma watched the lights of underground fly by. Sometimes, Harry would stay out late while his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were nice enough to leave the back door open for him to enter through when he got home. Jemma would try to stay up late to see him when he returned but, often, fall asleep only to be woken up by Dudley banging on her door for breakfast. Harry would be up at the same time as her and Jemma would pepper him with questions of what he had seen the night before. Then they'd head out on their usual route: fencing class, aviary, park, trains.

But, as much as he tried to enjoy his summer with Jemma, Harry knew that things were changing for the worse. Once, he'd taken Jemma aside to talk to her. And what he had to say made Jemma worry.

"I can't write to you when I get back to Hogwarts, Jem. There's too much risk involved sending Hedwig back-and-forth with all the Death Eaters wandering around. But I'll be fine. I won't get into trouble…well, no more than usual, anyway…" Harry had told her, his brow creased with worry. Jemma felt her heart sink. Death Eaters, she had learned, were servants of Lord Voldemort and hearing that they were wandering around scared her. "You don't think they'll come here, do you, Harry?" she had asked. Harry hadn't answered her question but he smiled gently at her. "You'll be safe, Jemma. They won't be able to find you," he reassured her.

That did little to make Jemma feel at ease, especially when news of a terrible accident in London involving one of the bridges was featured in the papers and the telly.

* * *

For the rest of the year, Jemma didn't hear anything from Harry nor did he hear anything from her. Both of them often wondered how the other was doing but they had both agreed not to communicate until they were sure it was safe.

Later on, as the day she knew Harry would return to the Muggle world drew near, Jemma received the most unexpected nighttime visitor.

" _Fawkes_ … _?_ " Jemma breathed out once she saw Dumbledore's pet phoenix tapping his golden beak against her bedroom window late at night. Getting out of bed and praying that her parents and brother wouldn't wake up, Jemma opened her window to let Fawkes in. Carefully, Fawkes fluttered into Jemma's room and dropped a small leather bag at Jemma's feet. _'What is it, Fawkes? Did something happen?'_ Jemma asked the phoenix telepathically. Fawkes lowered his beautiful scarlet-feathered head for a moment and looked up at Jemma. _'Albus is dead,'_ Fawkes' voice, full of sadness, echoed in Jemma's skull. Gasping softly, Jemma reached out a trembling hand to pet the melancholic phoenix. "Oh, Fawkes…I'm…I'm so sorry…" she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. Dumbledore, although she hadn't known him as well as Harry did, had been such a nice man and Jemma respected and liked him a great deal.

' _I have decided to return to the wild as I no longer have a master. But before I do so…Jemma, I must ask you to care for what is in this bag…and to ready yourself…'_

Fawkes then nudged the bag towards Jemma, who carefully reached into it. "No…" Jemma breathed out as she pulled out a single egg, bright red tinted with orange and gold hues, no bigger than a large duck egg. Looking at Fawkes fearfully, Jemma shook her head. _'A phoenix egg…Fawkes, I can't! My parents don't want me to have anything to do with magic. Raising a phoenix…I can't do it…'_ she told the phoenix, distressed. But Fawkes flapped his wings. _'You must, little Phoenix Soul. This new life will help prepare you for when your magic finally comes to full life,'_ he insisted.

Upon hearing the term again, Jemma decided it was time to get answers.

' _Fawkes, can you please tell me what you mean by that? What is a "Phoenix Soul" and why do you say that I am one?'_ she asked curiously. Fawkes blinked his eyes, black as coal, and answered.

' _Because you_ _ **are**_ _a Phoenix Soul, Jemma. You are a powerful witch capable of commanding fire and possess the qualities of a phoenix – healing tears, a song capable of encouraging the brave while striking fear into the hearts of evil, and immense courage and strength. In time, your powers will fully manifest and you will need someone to guide you. My daughter will be your guide and you shall be her master.'_

Once Fawkes had finished explaining, it took Jemma two minutes to take it all in. Clutching the phoenix egg close to her chest, Jemma swore she could feel a warm pulse coming from it. And her mind was whirling with thoughts. She had long resigned herself to being just an ordinary girl, a Muggle, and she was suddenly given this huge responsibility of raising a phoenix while discovering that she wasn't ordinary at all.

She was magic just like Harry!

' _What do I need to do for…for your daughter?'_ she finally asked Fawkes. _'Nothing much, really. Just keep her warm, safe…and a little bit of singing would be nice for her, too…'_ Fawkes replied. Taking a deep breath, Jemma cradled the phoenix egg in her hands. She, then, smiled and looked at Fawkes. _'I'll take good care of your daughter, Fawkes. I promise…'_ she swore. _'I know you will, Jemma…And thank you…Farewell…'_ Fawkes thanked her before taking flight.

As she watched Fawkes fly off into the night, Jemma hoped that she would be able to care for Fawkes' daughter…as well as be able to master her newfound magical abilities once they manifested.

Clever girl that she was, Jemma found a small cardboard box and filled it with old scraps of cloth, wrapped the phoenix egg in a piece of warm wool, and set it on her desk under the warm glow of her fluorescent lamp.

"Now, what to sing to you, little phoenix?" Jemma murmured to herself, thinking, until she settled on "Rock-a-Bye-Baby". As she sang, Jemma promised herself to keep Fawkes' visit and his daughter a secret. She would not tell anyone.

Not even Harry…

* * *

A few days spent doing her usual routine while, at the same time, keeping the phoenix egg a secret and caring for it passed until Jemma saw Harry again. She didn't need to be told to know that something terrible happened to him again because, thanks to Fawkes, she already knew what the tragedy was. Then, after supper, Harry went to speak with her parents for what seemed like ages in the living room while she and Dudley were sent to their rooms. Jemma had yet to talk to Harry and waited patiently but she never got the chance.

The next morning, however, she was in for the shock of her life.

* * *

"MOVING?!" she and Dudley practically screamed at their parents. "It's not safe here anymore, you two. Now, your father and I are going to start looking for new houses or maybe a nice apartment while you two decide on which of your things will no longer be needed before packing. We're going to move at the end of the summer," Petunia said primly. "But why do we have to move so suddenly?" Jemma, ever so full of questions, asked. Vernon merely cast a glance at the door to Harry's room. Jemma, suddenly quiet, picked at her food while the rest of her family chattered at the table. When the dishes were put away, her parents went off to go house hunting, and her brother gone off with his gang, Jemma went upstairs to Harry's room. Seeing that it was locked, Jemma cleverly picked the lock and opened the door. Harry was sitting on his bed, reading a copy of _The Daily Prophet_ , when Jemma went over to him and snatched the newspaper out of his hands.

"This has something to do with you, doesn't it? The whole family moving?" she demanded, doe brown eyes flashing with anger. "Jem, I'm turning 17 soon. Once that happens, the protection from your parents won't work anymore. I told you this once, remember? Back in my first year? About the blood wards?" Harry asked her quietly. "Yeah, but why do _we_ have to leave? You can go live with other wizards, can't you?" Jemma questioned him. "They'll hunt you, Dudley, and your parents down if you stay here, Jem. If any of Voldemort's Death Eaters know about you and your relation to me, they'll target you immediately. That's why you have to go," Harry explained.

Jemma felt a pit form in her stomach as she connected the dots.

Harry's emerald green eyes looked searchingly into her brown ones as he waited for her reaction. "It's not fair," Jemma said at last. "Jem, I'm sorry…But you have to understand that…" Harry managed to say before Jemma harshly cut him off.

"No, I don't understand at all! Why did Voldemort have to choose you?! Why do you always have to put yourself in this much danger?! Why do all these bad things happen whenever you're around?! Why do my family and I have to live in fear of who knows what?! Why do we have to leave in order to keep you safe when, in fact, you've never felt safe here?! Why do you have to say goodbye?!" the youngest Dursley burst out before saying something she would greatly regret.

" _Why do you have to be such a freak?!_ "

Profoundly hurt as he felt, Harry's face remained neutral as Jemma left his room in tears.

* * *

For half of the entire summer, Jemma avoided Harry at all costs. To the rest of her family, it was a miracle. "Finally, our dear Jem's come to her senses!" Vernon joyfully proclaimed, hugging his daughter tightly and was so proud. Jemma, unfortunately, felt far from proud. In fact, she felt horrible. Harry rarely came down for meals now and mostly stayed in his room. Sometimes, Jemma would pass by his door and almost reach for the doorknob but always ended up not doing so. She went on with her usual routine, losing herself in fencing, studying about birds, and running, but…at the end of the day…her thoughts went back to her cousin. As for her new responsibility of caring for Fawkes' daughter, Jemma made sure to always keep the egg warm day and night. She had to be careful, though, so as not for it to be discovered so she mostly did her intensive caring for it under the cover of night. She sang to it all the lullabies she knew and, when she ran out of lullabies, songs she had learned in school and had listened to.

Then, towards the middle of summer, Jemma couldn't fight down the guilt she had been feeling ever since she got mad with Harry. As soon as she woke up, Jemma went straight to Harry's bedroom door and knocked.

"It's open."

With the door creaking as she opened it, Jemma quietly stepped inside. Harry had just woken up as well and was putting on his glasses when he saw his younger cousin. For a minute, the two cousins stared at each other. Then Jemma finally said it.

"I'm sorry."

She had fully expected Harry to not accept her apology, get mad at her, or even just plain ignore her. What she didn't expect was for Harry to hug her and to feel his tears soaking the shoulder of her nightgown. "I'm sorry, too…" he whispered, his voice tight with tears. Jemma couldn't fight back her own tears and whimpered, burying her face in Harry's shoulder. "I don't want you to go…" she hiccupped. "I have to, Jem…You know that…" Harry told her softly. "I do…but I'll never see you again…I won't have anyone to teach me about magic or make fun of Dudley or just be there when I feel sad or lonely…I won't have a best friend anymore…" Jemma sobbed out.

Harry then cupped Jemma's face in his hands and, for a moment, he saw the little baby girl he had found crying in her crib when he was six. Then, in the blink of an eye, he saw that little baby girl grow into the kindest, most loving, smartest, and most wonderful younger cousin he knew. Smiling, Harry gently brushed his thumb against Jemma's cheek. "Sirius once told me this: _The ones who love us never really leave us. You can always find them in here._ " He said, gently placing his right hand over Jemma's heart. Jemma managed to smile a little. "I'll always be in your heart, Jemma. And you'll always be in mine. That way, no matter how far apart we are from each other, we'll still be cousins together; friends forever. All right?" Harry asked her. "All right," Jemma nodded.

And, just like that, the broken bond between Harry and Jemma was mended and made stronger than ever before. The rest of the Dursleys could only scratch their heads when Jemma and Harry went out together to seize the day, and the next, and the next, all the way until summer ended. And the two cousins, knowing that their time together was short, savored every second and lived each day as if it were their last.

* * *

The last night before she and her family would have to leave 4 Privet Drive, Jemma couldn't sleep. Tiptoeing down the hall, Jemma picked the lock and snuck into Harry's room. Harry hadn't been able to sleep either and was awake when he saw Jemma come in. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked. Nodding, Jemma climbed into Harry's bed and snuggled close to him. "You'll beat him, won't you?" Jemma asked quietly. "My friends and I'll be searching for the Horcruxes. They have pieces of Voldemort's soul in them. If we can find all of them and destroy them, he can be defeated," Harry reassured her. Jemma nodded before whispering, "I'm scared…" triggering a memory Harry had of Jemma when she was three and he was nine.

 _(Flashback Starts)_

"Hawwy? Hawwy? Hawwy?"

 _Nine-year-old Harry turned on the little light in his cupboard when he heard Jemma's frightened voice. To his luck, his Uncle Vernon had forgotten to lock the cupboard that night. Opening the door of his cupboard, Harry was surprised to see his little cousin's tear-streaked face._

"Jem, what happened?" _he asked softly. Jemma whimpered, tears trickling down her face, and wrapped her arms around herself like she always did when she was scared._ "I had bad dream. And thewe monstews undew my bed. Don't wanna sleep thewe. I scawed…" _she hiccupped._ "Jem, you can't stay here. If your Mum and Dad find you here, we'll get into trouble…" _Harry said worriedly._ "But thewe monstews thewe! Don't wanna be all alone, Hawwy! I'm scawed!" _Jemma wailed softly. Seeing how distressed Jemma was, Harry conceded and motioned for her to get inside._ "Tomorrow morning, let's go investigate under your bed. If I find any monsters under there, Jem, I'll make sure to chase them away," _he reassured her. Jemma sniffled and curled up next to Harry as he turned off the light. Then, to help his younger cousin sleep, Harry began to gently stroke her hair and sing a little lullaby…_

 _(Flashback Ends)_

Automatically, Harry began to gently stroke Jemma's soft, raven black hair, and sang…

" **Close your eyes, dear little one**

 **Sleep, sleep till rise of sun**

 **Don't be afraid for I'm here**

 **Bad dreams and pains won't get near"**

Jemma looked at Harry in awe before beginning to feel sleepy. That song…it sounded so familiar…

" **I'll stay awake through the night**

 **Then we'll play come morning light**

 **As you dream, know this be true**

 **I'll always, always, love you"**

"I remember…you sang that to me when I was three…" Jemma murmured as Harry gently kissed her forehead. "You still remember the words?" Harry whispered. "Mm-hmmm…can I try singing it with you…?" Jemma asked sleepily. "Okay…" Harry smiled and the two of them softly sang to each other.

" _Close your eyes, dear little one_

 _Sleep, sleep till rise of sun_

 _Don't be afraid for I'm here_

 _Bad dreams and pains won't get near_

 _I'll stay awake through the night_

 _Then we'll play come morning light_

 _As you dream, know this be true_

 _I'll always, always, love you"_

Jemma soon fell asleep after that, snuggled against Harry, until he also fell asleep. And the two of them dreamed good dreams, despite the bad things that would soon come.

* * *

When Vernon went to get a drink with his wife and saw Jemma's open bedroom door, he immediately suspected his nephew and went to investigate. Finding his daughter curled up against the boy in his bed sent Vernon into rage. Luckily, before he could explode and wake the two up, Petunia stopped him and said to him, "Let's just leave them be…It's their last night together, anyway." And sent him back to bed. Before closing Harry's bedroom door, Petunia dared herself to look and…for once…soften her heart towards her sister's son.

Harry's face was peaceful as he slept, a faint smile on his lips, as Jemma slightly shifted in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. ' _Why did you have to have Lily's good heart, boy? Why did you have to love my daughter so?'_ Petunia thought, shaking her head, as she left the two cousins alone.

* * *

 **I hope you guys liked this because the next chapter will be the last of this one-shot series. Read and review!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, everyone, this is it - the last chapter. This includes some of the deleted scenes in the film, specifically in the beginning of Part I of the Deathly Hallows, so I hope you guys like it.**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN Harry Potter. ALL RIGHTS GO TO J.K. ROWLING AND WARNER BROS.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: The End May Just Be the Beginning**

She was flying through a perfectly clear blue sky, the wind crisp and cool beneath her scarlet wings, and she felt happy and free. She didn't even need to wonder what she looked like because she saw herself clearly in her mind's eye.

She was a beautiful phoenix with fiery scarlet red and golden feathers, golden talons and a golden beak that was as sharp as an arrowhead, and had warm brown eyes…and she was flying free.

"Jem…Jemma…"

Who was that calling her? The voice sounded so familiar…

"Jemma, it's time to wake up…"

No, she didn't want to wake up. She was having the time of her life. Besides, if she woke up, she would have to leave and say goodbye…and she didn't want that to happen.

"Jem, it's morning. You have to wake up…"

She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to say goodbye. She never wanted to leave or say goodbye ever again…

"Come on, Jemma, wake up…"

Soon to be eleven-years-old at the end of November, Jemma Dursley woke up that dreary July morning when she felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. Blinking her doe brown eyes, Jemma squinted at the face of her cousin, Harry Potter. "It's too early, Harry. Can't we stay in bed just a bit longer?" Jemma yawned, shutting her eyes again, and curled up against her cousin. Harry chuckled and lightly shook her shoulder again. "You have to wake up now, Jem. You're moving today, remember?" he asked her softly. Jemma whimpered and nodded. Sighing, Harry held Jemma close and let the young girl sob into his shirt. He wasn't crying but he sure felt like it. They both knew what today was.

As soon as Harry turned 17, the blood ward protection of his Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would be no more and he would become vulnerable. To protect Jemma and her family, Harry told his Aunt and Uncle that they would have to leave 4 Privet Drive…at least until Voldemort had been vanquished. But, wanting to make sure they would never have to deal with the likes of Harry and his witch and wizard friends ever again, Vernon decided to move the entire family to London permanently. Jemma and her older brother, Dudley, would have to leave behind their old school friends and pastimes in Surrey and make new memories in the capital.

And for Jemma…moving meant saying goodbye to her cousin and best friend in the whole world.

Finally, Jemma got out of bed and hastened to help her family in packing all of their things. Harry, who had decided to stay until he was picked up by the Order of the Phoenix later that night, did what he could to help. The house in 4 Privet Drive, where so many magical and non-magical memories had been made, was bare by dusk and no trace of the life the Dursleys and Harry had had there remained.

"Come on, Dudley, hurry up!" Vernon Dursley barked out as he pulled a suitcase along with him. Dudley, Jemma's big brother, hefted one of his belonging into the large carrying compartment attached to the car. "I still don't understand why we have to leave…" he muttered. "Because it's not safe for us here anymore," Vernon said with a grunt. Dudley merely groaned and looked behind him at the house and wondered where his little sister was.

"It looks smaller now, doesn't it?" Jemma asked quietly as she and Harry peered into the cupboard under the stairs that had served as Harry's living quarters for the first 11 years of his life. Harry nodded, shutting the cupboard door one last time, before heading to the living room. His Aunt Petunia was there and, when he saw how sad she was, Harry couldn't help but blame himself for making her leave for her own safety. She'd taken him in, albeit unwillingly, and…she was his mother's sister…

"I have lived in this house for 20 years. And now, in a single night, I'm expected to leave," Petunia said softly. "They'll torture you. If they think you know where I'm going for a moment, they'll stop at nothing," Harry told her urgently. Jemma, who was watching her cousin and her mother talk, merely stayed silent. "Do you think I don't know what they're capable of?" Petunia asked her nephew. When Harry didn't answer, she said, "You didn't just lose a mother that night in Godric's Hollow, you know? _I lost a sister_ …" softly.

Harry could only look at his Aunt as she left the living room while Jemma couldn't help but wonder if her mother, after all these years, really did care for Harry after all.

Then, looking at each other, the two of them nodded and went outside.

Vernon, his mustache now white, regarded his nephew with contempt. "This isn't just goodbye, boy. _This_ is _farewell_ ," he said and Harry, no longer wanting to have any quarrel with his uncle, nodded. Dudley looked confused. "I don't understand. Isn't he coming with us?" Dudley asked, making Jemma nearly roll her eyes. "Who?" Vernon asked his eldest child. "Harry," Dudley told his father.

"Absolutely not!" Vernon said shortly.

"Why?" Dudley asked.

"Well, because, he doesn't want to. Do you, boy?" Vernon replied, looking at his nephew. "Absolutely not. No. Besides, I'm just a waste of space, isn't that right, Vernon?" Harry retorted. Vernon just stared at Harry, glaring, before saying, "Come on, Dudley. Get your sister. We're off," he instructed Dudley.

Jemma waited for her brother to come take her away but, instead, was surprised to see Dudley go over to Harry and say, after some difficulty, " _I don't think you're a waste of space._ "

' _Finally!_ ' Jemma thought as Harry said, "Thanks." Before he and Dudley parted ways with a firm handshake. "You saved my life and Jem's…I'll let you two say your goodbyes," Dudley mumbled before heading off to the car. "See you, Big D," Harry smirked as Dudley smirked back at him as he went to the car.

With the rest of her family in the car, Jemma looked up at Harry and knew that it was now time for them to say goodbye.

"You'll let me know when it's all over, won't you?" the youngest Dursley asked Harry hopefully. Harry knew that chances of him, Hedwig, or any of his friends surviving the upcoming war were slim and couldn't say anything. It wouldn't do Jemma any good to hold onto false hopes or promises. Once her cousin didn't respond after a few minutes, Jemma knew that this really was goodbye. "If you can't come back…just promise me you'll be safe," she said quietly, trying so hard not to cry. Harry sighed and crouched down to see eye-to-eye with Jemma. "You've grown up so much…" he said softly, gently brushing his hand against Jemma's cheek. "You have to win. You're the greatest wizard ever, Harry. You've got to beat Voldemort," Jemma said pleadingly, seeing that Harry couldn't even assure her that he would be safe. "And I will, Jem," Harry promised her before Jemma took something out of her pocket.

"Here…" Taking Harry's right hand, Jemma wrapped a red and yellow-gold woven bracelet around his wrist. Harry then noticed that the feather Fawkes had given to his younger cousin had been cleverly woven into the bracelet that felt warm against his cool skin. "I carried Fawkes' feather around with me the whole year at school and it brought me good luck. Maybe…maybe it'll give you good luck, too," Jemma said softly. Harry smiled gently at his youngest cousin and kissed her forehead. Jemma felt a few tears slip out of her eyes as she embraced Harry fiercely and rested her head against his shoulder.

When they let go of each other, Jemma brushed her hand against Harry's scar for one last time. "I love you, Harry," she said, her voice filled with emotion. "I love you, too, Jem…" Harry told her, smiling as he blinked back the tears in his eyes.

Jemma went to the car, looking over her shoulder every now and then, as Harry stood up and…with one last wave goodbye…got inside. As the car drove away, Jemma kept her gaze locked on Harry. Doe brown eyes and emerald green eyes maintained eye contact for as long as they could until the car turned around the corner and left Privet Drive for good.

* * *

They'd been on the move for a long time now. Days and weeks and months went by until Harry decided to stop keeping track of time. Most nights, he would stay up until dawn and watch Ginny's dot on the Marauders' Map. He wondered how she was doing and if things would ever be the same between them when the war against You-Know-Who was over. Ron would go away for some time, later, but he would come back to help him destroy one of the Horcruxes and the two of them and Hermione would continue the search for the other Horcruxes. It was shortly after destroying Salazar Slytherin's locket when his two friends would sometimes stay awake with him without him knowing it.

And, each time, Ron and Hermione would hear Harry softly singing a lullaby they didn't know…while fingering a bracelet that had a single phoenix feather woven into the strands of red and yellow-gold rope.

* * *

They lived in an apartment in London now and Dudley was already attending one of the nearby universities. For Jemma, it had been a miracle that her brother was now a bit more studious and less obnoxious. As for her, she was doing fairly all right. She went to a good school and got good marks in all her subjects. But friends…she couldn't really relate to any kids her age. For her, they were a boring lot and all they seemed to care about were what was the latest trend or who was more popular or the best among the rest. She mostly spent her time between classes in the school library or chatted with the birds that occasionally flew by the school when no one was around. At home, she listened to her parents drone on and on and on about normal things, only joining in on the conversation when talk regarding the state of things outside their average circle would come up.

But, most of the time, Jemma preferred to be alone with her books and to continue communicating telepathically with birds ( _though none of them will ever be as special as Ms. Flitteron or, in the near future, Seraphine_ ). She found solace during the day with the birds, taking fencing classes, running, and caring for Fawkes' egg. However, at night, she would have horrible dreams of her in phoenix form trying to swoop down and save Harry from a terrible winged snake that always ended with her never finding out if she had succeeded or failed because, every time she would swoop down to save her cousin, she would suddenly wake up. The dreams only happened once a night but it was enough to keep Jemma worrying over Harry's safety.

Then, one night, she woke up crying.

She had dreamt she was in a dark forest with Harry and he was leaving her to face something up ahead that was emanating an eerie green glow. She had clung onto him, begging him not to go, but Harry gently pried her away from him. "Everything will be okay, Jem. Be strong. I love you," he had told her before he turned around and walked away. She had tried to run after him only to realize that there was some sort of barrier keeping her from advancing. "Harry, no! Don't go! Don't leave me alone! Come back, Harry! Come back!" she had screamed, banging her fists against the barrier as her cousin vanished into the depths of the forest, until the eerie green glow became a blast of bright green light and she heard a terrifying voice cry out…

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

Now, as she lay awake in her bed, Jemma waited for her tears to stop until she whispered to the still air, "Please be safe, Harry. Please be safe…"

* * *

Harry had just used the Resurrection Stone to talk to his parents, Sirius, and Remus one last time. Now, he was on his way to meet his death at Voldemort's own hands. As he walked towards his fate, Harry thought back on everything he'd been through with Ron and Hermione, every happy memory he had of his friends at Hogwarts, times spent at the Burrow with the Weasleys and everything else in between. As he neared the Death Eaters' camp, he thought about Ginny. Her blazing looks and the way her lips felt against his…

Then, as he closed his eyes to wait for the Killing Curse to strike him, he thought not only of Ginny…but also of a brown-eyed girl who loved to run, spoke to birds, and had a heart of gold so strong and full of love.

* * *

"And our top story today…for the first time in 17 years, owls can be seen flying all over Britain…"

Petunia and Vernon could only look at each other nervously while Jemma said, "I'm going to school! I'll be home for supper!" and left their apartment. But, before she set off for school, Jemma went to the very top of the apartment building and waited. A few moments later, a beautiful phoenix the size of a peregrine falcon swooped down from the heavens and alighted on Jemma's shoulder. The phoenix, a female yet to reach her actual size since she was still very young, playfully nibbled on Jemma's ear and blinked its luminous black eyes at her curiously. ' _Hello, Seraphine, how was your flight?_ ' Jemma telepathically asked her partner-in-crime with a smile.

The egg had hatched on Halloween night.

It hadn't been easy keeping her a secret ( _especially when the cardboard box where the egg had been kept had been incinerated upon hatching_ ) but Jemma had managed. She had first kept Seraphine with her while she was still a chick and, once she had grown strong enough to fly, let her fly free on most days and had trained her to return to the roof of the apartment building without being seen. Having been entrusted with caring for Fawkes' daughter, Jemma made sure to be a responsible and loving surrogate parent to Seraphine. And she had succeeded in doing just that. Next to her father, Seraphine had become an incredibly loyal pet phoenix and she cared for Jemma very much as if she were her sister.

Now, Seraphine's excited voice filled Jemma's head with the most wonderful news.

' _Owls are flying all over Britain delivering the joyous news, Jemma. Last night, there were shooting stars all over the skies. It's over, Jem! Lord Voldemort's been vanquished!_ '

Jemma, for the first time ever since she moved from 4 Privet Drive, smiled a genuinely happy smile and gently stroked Seraphine's beautiful head as she looked up at the sky that had never looked so beautifully blue.

"I knew you could do it, Harry…I always knew…" she whispered to the heavens, wondering if her cousin could hear her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was just getting off the Hogwarts Express with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny when he thought he heard his younger cousin. Looking around, he couldn't see any sign of Jemma and wondered if he was just hearing things. "Blimey, mate, you're still wearing that old thing?" Ron's voice snapped him out of it and he glanced at his bracelet. The red and yellow-gold strands of rope were now frayed and the entire thing was close to falling apart, the phoenix feather barely holding it together.

"You've been wearing that thing since we went off to search for the Horcruxes," Hermione pointed out. Harry merely smiled and said, "Well, it has brought me a lot of good luck." Making Ginny smile a bit. She was the only one he had told where he got the bracelet.

"You miss Jemma, don't you?" Ginny asked her boyfriend as they headed off to Hogwarts. "Every day," Harry nodded. As he started his seventh year with Hermione and Ron while Ginny started her sixth year, Harry wondered if Jemma was doing well.

* * *

 **I have plans to create a new story. I don't know when that will be…but I do have plans. Till then, stay awesome fan fiction readers and fan fictions writers!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


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